Tales of Love
by GS
Summary: Tale Arc, AU, 1+2, inprogress. Stumbling through ninth grade, Heero finds the person of his dreams. But are dreams enough?
1. Prologue

**__**

GS Note: The decision to write about Heero came about in a very scientific and logical way. I threw papers with names and chose the one my kitten pounced on and brought back to me.

Uh, some parts may seem a bit hooky. I've never had a boyfriend or majorly crushed on someone, so this is going from an observers POV trying to themselves in the place of the crushee. If that made any sense at all, you may understand how the story was written. If not, may a greater power have mercy ^_^ 

These two poems are mine, and they suck. I know. From now on I'm getting other people to write them but I wanted to get this out soon.

Tales of Love

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Prologue

****

//_Once in a land,_

Faraway and unheard,

There was a boy who lived alone

And didn't have to go to school!//

Heero wished with all his soul that the car would keep on driving. It would drive down the road, far from this building and he would have a great day hanging out at the city with his friends like any normal teenager.

What was he kidding?

Normal?

He paused, his hand on the door handle ready to push it open, when he felt the door move away from him. He blinked at the tall, darkly dressed driver calmly holding the exit to his sanctuary open. He sighed and turned to grab the backpack sitting on the posh, smooth seat of the car beside him. He nodded politely to the driver as the door was closed behind him.

The black car may have looked dwarfed by the large yellow buses but only in size. The cheery day was immediately sobered by the solemn and serious atmosphere expressed by the people around the vehicle. The strange boy who stood out of it glared at some of the stares and they started to dissipate

All ready Heero could see the second glances and whispers he received by the student coming off of buses. He clutched his bag on his shoulder, smoothing his nervousness face out. He pushed the butterflies down and forced a look of indifference on his face. He straightened his shoulders as the car pulled out of the parking lot behind him. He was alone. 

He felt awkward and out of place as cold sweat ran down the back of his neck as he tried to ignore the stares he received. He could hear whispers, were they talking about him? Many people ran to greet friends, adding to the noise already elevating in the small, outdoor circle. He looked at his goal, the door. He stared hard at it, focusing on nothing but the lightly tinted windows offering refuge and escape. He reached a hand out and grasped the cool, metal handle. He swung it open.

Once inside he found himself lost in the crowds of teenagers calling for friends or yelling conversation over the echo. He ducked to avoid a girl flinging herself at her boyfriend.

"I can do this," Heero breathed to himself. "I can. Calm…."

Most of the people seemed to be moving to the large doors for the café right behind a spiraling staircase near the front entrance. Heero followed them, allowing himself to be swept up with the mass so he was lost and unnoticed. He stood there for quite some time, confused at what the students seemed to be doing. They would come in then leave with no explanation. He considered asking someone what to do but dismissed that idea. He knew he all ready stood out in his neatly pressed clothes, there was no need to draw farther attention to himself. 

Then, he heard it.

"So what do we do now, Solo my man?"

"It's simple. Find your last name on the sheets around the walls and it has your first period class on it. You get you schedule there but the bell won't ring for another half an hour."

"Damn, why is Catolonia so far from Maxwell?"

"Sucks to be you Doro!"

"That's not nice Duo. Hey, put that tongue back in your mouth! Stop sniggering Dorothy you pervert—"

"Yes mama!"

Heero spotted the speakers right in front of him. There seemed to be a slight shield-like quality around the three students. Two of them were blondes, a boy and a girl. The boy seemed to be the one in charge, glaring hopelessly at the two younger ones. Heero recognized the girl from somewhere, he couldn't remember. Her shockingly long hair and thick glasses contrasted with the tanned students around her. A knee length skirt and blouse offset the braces she sported. Did she say Catolonia? She must be the daughter of the elementary principal, his father often donated to schools. 

The third kid…

Heero felt his heart stop then beat double time in his throat. An insane smile spread over his face as he found his windpipe lodged with a lump. He felt strangely light as the boy laughed.

He wasn't tall or short. Wide eyes lighted under the bushy bangs. A full, soft mouth pouted as he swirled around, gracefully arching his spine as he spun his hair around. It whipped to the other side of his hip before settling back at the base of his back. It was long and full, glimmering brighter then the other trails of gleaming hair in the crowd surrounding him. Black clothes hugged in all the right places, twisting perfectly with his form as he spun. Mocking eyes glared at the blonde girl as his cheeky face scowled playfully.

For a moment, Heero felt as if he was seeing an angel, sent to dance for him under the florescent lights. Time froze for just a moment as his brain captured the picture before him. Then, time started again.

The clamor that had silenced in Heero's ears blossomed, the movement around him recharged. And that boy, the most God-made, perfect boy, was swept away with the crowd. Heero's jerked out of his trance and started to rush over to where the three had been standing before he stopped himself.

He had always known he was a bisexual. He had never kissed a boy (or girl for that matter) but he often found himself gazing at the fencers and swimmers at the country club from behind dark sunglasses. 

Never before had he found a willing participant for experimenting on, though. It was more then likely that the boy wouldn't even consider going out with him never mind—Heero almost felt a swell of disappointment wash over him but he pushed that deeper down with his butterflies, his mask of boredom firmly in place. He turned to search for the 'Y's, words already composing in his head.

//_Love sees everyone in the same light_

Whether love spring in day or night,

It still knocks the knees loud

And still pushes the breast proud.

It can bounce quick or slow

It can remain forever or go

To better places, like right in you.

For every love there is another who

Dies some place, has a heart breaks

And hope and faith soul shakes.

Cling and whine onto the love

For the next time it nestles,

Will only be in the land above.//


	2. Lost and Acting

**__**

GS: Wow, people actually *reviewed* the prologue. Maybe my friends are right when they say one or two people know my name. Well, cool!

If anyone remembers from My Kinda Fairy Tale, I mentioned that most high school experiences happened or things very similar. The café ladies sneaking up on poor Bessy, that's a laugh at our tables. The missing room 221, the route there may not be right but it feels that way sometimes. If you aren't in the right hall you have to go through five others to get to the actual room and to get to the right hall you need to pass by the room. Hehe, I found it the first day by stalking people. I was talking to myself too and it didn't make me to popular with the normal folks.

Chapter 1

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Lost and Acting

//_How many ways can my eyes betray me?_

How many ways can my heart burst?

How many ways can I fall before I'm done?

How many ways can I crave the impossible?//

Lost, lost again. Heero turned down another hall. There was room 218, across from that was 219. Beside that was 222 and beside 218 was 220. So where was 221?

Heero heaved a sigh in the crowded hall before he was shoved out of the way. He glared at the people, not focusing on anyone in particular. This damn school… He stood at the corner of the dilemma spot, two halls left to search in the three-way break. With only two minutes to do it, oh the comedy someone must feel over this. Heero almost spat bitterly. He had never been to the class he was looking for. Room 221 seemed to not exist. He had spent the last three days searching for it, down halls and stairs, even venturing to try and navigate the halls with the map in the student handbook. Apparently he was not meant to attend math. 

The bell rang and he realized that halls had started to empty while he had been cursing the school. So he jumped when he heard one soft but clear voice.

"If I remember right, room 221 was… to the right, down the second hall on the left and through Gym 2 on the far wall. I think."

Heero spotted the blonde girl pace past him, staring hard at a map. She looked up and smiled, apparently happy at what she saw. She took the right hallway. Heero grinned and waited a few seconds before following her. He pretended to look at the door numbers but kept an eye on where she was walking. She didn't notice him as she started to count hallways slowly to herself. She didn't care as the bell rang, leaving the halls mostly empty with only students on lunch making their way to the cafeteria left. He tried to casually follow her but quickened when she turned the corner. He was so intent on not losing her he didn't look where he was going.

His books flew everywhere as his fast pace was stopped very suddenly. He fell back, bracing himself for the impact on the ground. He groaned for a moment, hissing at the pain in his tailbone, before opening him eyes to see what he had hit.

The blonde girl glared at him, still on her feet. She planted her hand on her hips and twisted her mouth into a smirk.

"That's what you get for being a stalker," she offered him a hand. He grunted sheepishly and accepted it. She helped him gather his books and paper before casually tossing her braid back over her shoulder. Once he sorted out his belongings, he suddenly realised that an apology was probably necessary.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled through clenched teeth. "I wasn't watching—"

"Let me guess," she grinned mockingly. "You needed to find room 221, right?" he opened his mouth to answer but she beat him. "You heard me talking and decided to follow me, thus falling into my trap with the trashcan and your graceful decent to the ground." Heero saw the garbage can sitting innocently next to the girl and made the connection to the stinging pain still in his shins. He glared at her and started to retaliate. She silenced him with a finger. "You must be Heero Yuy because you haven't been to class yet." She continued before he could nod. "My name's Dorothy Susanna Catolonia, but most people call me Dorothy. Or at least, I wish they did. Do you need help getting to class?"

Finally, Heero was able to nod. "Yes, math class." He suddenly felt very stupid for saying that but he gave a mental sigh and fixed a stony expression on. 

"Good, because we're going to have to book it. Miss Noin told us we can't be more then fifteen minutes late to class in the first week or it's a detention and you slowed me down." She took off down the hall, still technically walking but Heero found himself jogging beside her to keep up. "So I guess you've found your first period class all right, I mean to get your schedule to know what classes you have next, but have you found all you other classes?"

"What? Oh, yes, the rest weren't too hard to fine but the logics of this school are—"

"Somewhat lacking. I get it; Mr. Heckle almost took my head off when I couldn't find 102. Don't worry though, Miss Noin's great as long as you don't piss her off."

"Will not being able to find the class for three days piss her off?"

"I don't think so, now, here's Gym 2. We have to go through here to get the hall with room 221. Usually it's empty if you get here early but we haven't. Er, try and dodge the balls." 

Much running, dodging and one bloody lip later, Dorothy was on the receiving end of several nasty glares from teachers closing their doors on the rude interruption of the gym doors slamming shut. Heero nursed his war wound silently, pressing the sleeve of his shirt to stop the bleeding. 

"Sorry," Dorothy winced in sympathy. "I didn't see that one coming. Does it hurt?"

"Yes," Heero pulled his sleeve away and licked the coppery cut. "But I think I will live."

"Not for long," Dorothy sighed and gulped as she looked at the door, third on the right. "We're almost twenty minutes late for math. Noin's gonna kill us. I think a skip might not be so bad."

"Oh no," Heero focused determinably at the door Dorothy seemed so worried about. "I've already missed three days of this class and I'm not about to miss another. You can coward out or we can face it together and have an alibi." He fixed her with a piercing look. She almost trembled. "We got lost…right?"

"Y-yea," Dorothy nodded vigorously. "Lost. We took a wrong turn down the Writer's Block and walked in on a Science class, kind of embarrassing but they were kind enough to point us in the right direction after they stopped laughing."

"Good," Heero smirked. "It's nice to see we're on the same track. Now, let's go."

It was a very awkward scene and a horrible first impression but a red-faced Heero escaped with the bell clutching textbooks and a fairly good idea of the course material. After a bit of concentration, he found his way back to his locker. He had argued and fought with his parents to let him buy and eat his lunch in the school, despite the fact his family estate was only across the street. He had claimed it would help him improve his people skills. He snorted, that only worked if there were people around.

He poked at the green blob next to the charred hamburger. He thought it was supposed to broccoli, though he had never seen a healthy vegetable quite that shade of green. At least the hamburger was probably real. There was a cow field backed onto the edge of the property. He suddenly got a very strange mental image of a cafeteria lady sneaking up behind a cow with a butcher's knife chanting, "Here Bessy, Bessy, Bessy…"

It was almost enough to make him choke. Instead he obtained some scowls from the nearby tables. Heero just ducked his head and ignored them, his face once more bored.

He was shocked, then, when he felt his tray being moved to make room for another. A dazzling smile to his right made him jump.

"Hey Heero! I didn't know you had this lunch!" it was Dorothy, her own tray filled with lumpy, indescribable food. She didn't take notice when she took a bite of the green vegetables. "I'm so glad, I was tried of sitting alone."

"Hi," Heero responded, still off guard. They ate in relative silence, only Heero's grimace at the food and Dorothy's yawning punctuating the quiet. Well, bubble of quiet around them at least.

Then, the bell rang. It was barely audible over the noise of the crowd but they did hear it. Dorothy stood to leave while Heero untangled himself from the bench. He ended up bruising his knees but he finally was free. 

"That was fun," Dorothy stated as she turned to go out a door. "But next time I'm bring music if you refuse to talk again."

__

Heero only watched her leave out of the clear, glass doors before remembering that he also had a class to go to. He swore and hurried out. Dorothy was an enigma. Mr. Catolonia had often come by for a dinner at his home or a meeting with his father. The man bragged about his two daughters, an older one named Dolores Elizabeth and the younger one named Dorothy Susanna. From the descriptions Heero had always painted them to be snobby, well-bred, old-fashioned ladies, modeled after a magazine ad. Meeting Dorothy in the flesh had certainly changed that image. If only he could meet her friend, the angel with the braid…

Despite the five minute walk home, Heero found the black car waiting outside by the buses for him again. He groaned, it was a new driver everyday so there was no chance for the movie relationship where the servants took the place of his parents. Heero always wondered if his father made them that way. 

He plastered his mask on and strode out of the building to the waiting car. The dark man greeted him formally and opened the door. Heero slid in. He slid into another person who squeaked in surprise. 

"Quatre?"

"Hello Heero. How was school?"

Heero just blinked then slumped down beside the perfectly postured boy. He was tired of being surprised today. Just once he wished someone would give him a warning of their existence. Quatre just smiled politely. 

It wasn't that Heero didn't like the boy. Quatre was the nicest person to talk too, the best if you needed a listener and the ideal object to rant at. But… due to his severe lack of young human contact, Quatre had developed into a very quiet and submissive person. His family home schooled him and rarely let him out of the house. It was like talking to a robot sometimes with responses trained into the teen. His pale skin shone unhealthily in the dull lighting of the car. The engine powered up and they started to move out of the parking lot. Heero frowned, Quatre was the son of his father's business partner. The Yuy and Winner Corporation was a huge economic factor so naturally they wanted to keep relations friendly between their families. Heero and Quatre had known each other for years yet they had never become close friends. Still, Quatre looked a bit paler then usual. 

"It was fine," Heero answered politely. "It was also fairly exhausting. I only just found my math class this morning."

Longing flashed in the pale blue eye for a moment before a perfectly practiced smile took its place. "That's great news to hear. I'm sorry if I startled you, your father offered to let me spend the night at your house since my older sister and father are away. It's only Elise and Ashley home and father claims they are too young to watch over me."

Heero thought that was stupid. Elise was seventeen and Ashley was nineteen. That, plus the fact that the house was guarded and there were house servants made ample care for a fifteen year old. Maybe Quatre had requested to say with Heero, it must get boring all by yourself. Heero forced a smile on his face.

"Great, I'm glad you've decided to come."

The lost evening was worth it to see the smile light up the pale boy's face.

__

//Down one hall to another

Again and again you race

To meet an ally somewhere along

To lost that ally and find another

To find the old and lose the new

Then to lost that old again and find the new again

An act put on and off, interchangeable masks

Such is a life, such is an act.//


	3. Naming Gods

**__**

GS Note: Pwh, I'm tired. August was supposed to be my relaxing month before school but it's turning into a very busy time. Between extra shifts at the barn, horse shows, working at shows, painting my room, and trying to sleep on my lumpy couch (ow) I'm bushed. And I'm not too happy about having to get up at 5:30 again next month. Maybe I'll break down and go to the local high school instead of the Catholic one…

Oh, oh! And I got the bandages of my hands! I sliced my finger with a knife when I was cooking and then my kitten opened up my palm. It was a major ouch for a while and it was hard to type. But, it's all better! Only scars remain!

My siblings are returning from boot camp soon so I might be bugged more to get off the computer even though it's MINE! It's moving to my room soon (a couple of weeks) and that'll improve my speed a ton.

NEKO NOTE! I'll be working on chapter 7 next so you'll probably see it in a few days!

Chapter 2

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Naming Gods

_//Day after day after day_

_Night after night after night_

Dream after dream after dream

Endless cycles of life. //

Heero ducked to avoid recognition before he realised how stupid that was with the car windows tinted. He saw Dorothy talking to another person just out of sight. It had been weeks since he first bumped into the girl and so far they had spent their lunchs debating math homework. It was a comfortable friendship, not one Heero planned on ruining with the impromptu announcement of his wealthy up-bring. The Yuy name was international but fortunately it was meaningless to the laymen locally. Heero did everything to keep it that way at school.

He ignored the open door and slid out the opposite way. To the bewilderment of his driver, Heero ducked so his head wasn't seen as he sneaked around the other side of the car and around the nearest bus. Without looking where he was going, he rushed to mingle with the crowd exiting the school transport. 

For some reason, the gods watching over Heero seemed to think the standard greeting involved pain.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Are you all right?"

"Yes, I think—"

Heero's jaw suddenly stopped in midsentence. Standing over him, hand outstretched to help him up was—

His angel.

The braided boy hesitated and looked at him confused. Heero never noticed, his brain shut down as his jaw flapped open. A numb sensation washed over his knees and his stomach was filled with fluttering butterflies. He felt like he was going to explode or throw up.

His ears finally registered that lovely voice attempting to speak with him. He struggled out of his stupor to hear the words.

"Jeez, I asked if you were ok? Hello?"

"I-I-I'm fine," Heero stuttered and took the offered hand. The boy's grasp was warm. A smile graced the delicate features of his crush.

"Good! I don't think I want to see the interior of the VP's office quite yet," the boy started to move off. The pale hand that had helped him to his feet waved him good bye. Heero felt his knees go weak again as he just stood there watching the boy walking away. 

Some time later, Heero realised that he was alone outside of the school. The buses were gone and the school was quiet. First period had started. 

"Shit."

Heero managed to avoid trouble in first period by claiming that he had gotten lost again. It was understandable, most kids ended up being lost in grade nine for the first month, even longer. All he got was a stern warning and advice to look at the map. Heero kept his comments on the accuracy of the map to himself. 

Math wasn't too hard to find anymore, now that he knew where to look. He had to hurry though, his first period Science class was no where near the gyms and if he wanted to avoid another dodge ball in the face he had to get there when the gym was empty.

He was so distracted and out of breath from his run he completely missed the smirking gleam in Dorothy's eye as he slid into his seat beside her. He hurried to get out his books, Miss Noin insisted class started when the bell rang and she wouldn't waste precocious seconds for them to get out their things. She wasn't in the class as the second bell sounded.

Heero glanced over and caught Dorothy's smirk.

"What?" he asked, not loud but not at a whisper either. Dorothy just kept looking. "What?" he asked again, a bit more annoyed. She crossed her eyes. Hero just sighed and ignored her and she sniggered. The talk in the room lowered when Miss Noin walked in but it didn't completely stop. It did however halt when she slammed her huge lesson planner on her desk, making pens and papers fly everywhere. 

Heero jumped as the teacher smiled politely at them. It was time to work.

Dorothy was packing up and Heero was waiting for her as integers flew around in his head. 2x plus 5x² plus 5y plus 3x² equals 0 is shortened to 2x plus 5y plus 8x² equals to 0 and to solve it—

He was just relieved when Dorothy was ready to go and he could leave the headache behind. She was still sneaking him sideways glances, a chuckle often coming from her for no reason. When they reached the café, got their food and were sitting down, Heero finally lost his patience.

"What is so funny?" he gritted his teeth as she glanced at him and giggled. She grinned broadly.

"I think you have a crush, Heero Yuy."

To his surprise, he felt his cheeks start to burn. He snorted and turned his full attention on his food. "I do not."

"I think so," was the wicked reply. "I caught the way you were looking. It's kind of sweet actually."

Heero poked at his lunch as he processed what she had said. So…Dorothy was all right with him being…

"Relena's perfect for you!"

Wait—

Back up.

"Who?" Heero asked, his brain suddenly feeling like it as moving in slow motion.

"Relena Peacecraft, that girl you were staring at in math class? I think she likes you too, you should ask her out," Dorothy speared the hot dog sitting on the bun, looked it over then put it back. She grinned at Heero's shocked face. "So, what do ya say about working on that math homework? You're better then me at those y=mx+b things."

English was as boring as ever. The teacher, Mr. Milof, was a Russian professor with an accent so heavy it was impossible to decipher what he was talking about. From what Heero could tell, he thought they were working on grammar but along with the atrocious speaking skills, Mr. Milof also had illegible writing. It was also possible that they were on poetry but according to the course outline, it was the more remote option.

His hands full of look books and papers, Heero struggled to get them in his bag that was hanging off his elbow. He did this as he hurried through the crowded halls to his next class, Geography. He cursed as he was jostled and lost his grip on a textbook. He crouched to get it, half the loose notes slipping from his grasp. He cursed again as he sensed someone crouch beside him to help him pick up his things. 

Between the two of them, they managed to pick up all of Heero's things without them getting stepped on too much. Heero looked up to his helper.

"Thank you," he said, a bit nervously as they straightened up. The Chinese boy nodded.

"Buxie," the boy ducked his head in a small bow then disappeared in the crowd before Heero could speak again. He lifted a hand to call the boy back, then decided against it. Sometimes random acts of kindness were better left just that, random.

Geography was normal, his teacher was a pretty laid-back guy so work wasn't difficult. The, it was time for the last class of the day. Dreaded above all else, or at least for Heero, Art.

It wasn't that Heero was horrible at art, he was told he could have potential if he applied himself more, it was the people in the class. He went gratefully ignored as he entered and took his seat at the specially sized, large desks. He ducked his head and started to fish around for the sketchbook they had been obligated to buy. He slumped down, making a smaller target as his torment began.

It started out little, rolled up pieces of paper from homework being bounced off his head. It rarely got stuck in his hair, instead tending to roll away. The teacher entered the class and ordered the kids to continue working on the first assignment she had given them, and ink and pen line experiment. It involved dividing a circled piece of Bristol board into separate little sections and creating dozens of little patterns with lines using a bottle of ink and a calligraphy pen. Heero's would be coming along nicely if tiny paper balls were all that got thrown at him.

A sticky, wet ball squished onto his neck and stuck there. Heero reached back grimacing and pulled the spitball off. He tossed it on the floor.

"Why people are so obsessed with throwing bodily fluids at me, I don't know," he sneered under his breath, glaring darkly at his paper. He dipped his pen in the bottle of ink. He lowered to just doodle in one of the spaces when he felt a larger object hit his head. He glanced at the floor and saw a pen laying innocently behind his chair. He growled but continued his work, doing his best to disregard the sharp pains on his head as the boys behind him kept on practicing their targeting skills.

He was the first out of the class when the bell rang, his stuff barely put away in time. He didn't care about the extra work his teacher might face cleaning his things, she never tried to help him out so why should he?

Heero was so tired and angry by the time he sorted out his books from the piles of junk in his locker left by his buddy, he was mumbling under his breath as he pushed people out of his way to get to the car.

"Stupid, shitty piece of— Tomorrow I'm gonna get— See how much they like it— damn kid can't keep the stupid locker clean—"

Heero ignored the new driver as he opened his door and slid in. He slumped in his seat after tossing his bag violently on the floor. He crossed his arms and grumbled as he heard the driver get in and start the car. He glared at the kids laughing and joking on their way to the buses. He saw a few glance at the car and start to whisper to their friends. He sighed irritated and looked at the seat in front on him. He just wanted to get home. 

Fortunately, his house was in visible distance from the school. He didn't bother to wait for the door to open for him when he spilled out, his bag totted behind him as he hurried up the long steps to his house. The lawn was perfectly kept with flowers perfectly grown and set out to artistically please a person's eye. Heero suddenly felt an immense hatred for it and scowled.

The door made an uncharacteristic smash against the wall behind it. It was accompanied by the resounding slam as it was shoved back into the frame. Stomping and cursing made its way through the otherwise soundless house. Despite the huge size, the mansion had only two major tenants. Once a week a professional cleaning staff came and sanitized rooms that hadn't seen a person since the last cleansing.

Heero was one of the occupants. He usually staying in his own wing of the house, preferring solitude though it was easily obtained. The second person usually stayed in the kitchen and casual living rooms, relaxing as she cared for the fourteen-year-old. Marie heard the angry footsteps and slams as the teenager entered the house. The empty halls echoed. She frowned and set the timer on the stove before going to see what was wrong.

Heero was in his room, his bag strewn over the otherwise clean floor. His shoes were still on, littering some dirt on his clean comforter as he leaned on the fluffy pillows, clicking the channel on the huge television. The room was decorated with dark blues and greens, creating a comfy and homely look. It made the big room seem cozy, if possible. Heero stood out among the models of cars and planes and other things his parents thought a boy should have. None of the things in the room ever looked used. 

She knocked, her view only giving her Heero's feet. She received a grunt she assumed meant 'come in'. She pushed the door completely open. Hero stared at the television, a scowl causing his forehead to wrinkle. He was clicking the channels so fast it was hard to tell what they were about. Marie decided to open the conversation.

"How can you tell what's on? Aren't you clicking too fast?"

"I can tell," was the short answer. He paused and clicked back five channels. "See? News."

Marie sighed and settled in a chair around the edge of the room. Heero kept his eyes glued on the screen while Marie waited patently for him to respond. 

When Marie was hired, she knew very little English beyond 'hello' and 'thank you'. Heero had only been six when he began to tutor her from her native language of Italian. He had always been truly remarkable, never had she come into his room to settle a nightmare or scold him for misbehaviour. He was always well-spoken and polite with excellent grades during his home schooling. Marie thought it was unnatural. She had approached his father last year and managed to convince him to let Heero go to the local high school. Even though the Yuy's weren't Catholic, Mr. Yuy had settled on the Catholic one across the street as it had a reputation for their business classes. Now, only about a week or two into the first semester, Marie could all ready see a developing personality coming from Heero. 

He was getting grumpy, something he had never been before. He was more agitated and tired then usual. Yesterday he had snapped at her when she moved his bag without him knowing. This morning he had only eaten part of his breakfast before rushing out the door without his regular thank you. To some it would seem like a negative development but Marie was just glad there was any change at all. 

"What happened at school today?" she asked casually, ignoring the zombied look on his face. 

"Nothing."

"Oh? Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Nothing you want to tell me?"

"No."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Marie had dealt enough with Heero to imitate his glare. He snorted as the news report on the television took over the silence in the room.

//"_And I'm sure most people will be glad to hear about the upcoming decrease in price for the Winner Enterprise Corporation laptops. They will be going down from over two thousand dollars to a mere fifteen hundred. Great news for those still waiting to buy one, but sad news for those that just finished paying full price."//_

Heero didn't bother to glance at the three laptops that lay on his desk, two of then barely used.

_//"Also, consumers are to expect the Yuy Company to jack up the cost on laptop batteries. That may have a major impact on businesses that supply their employees with laptops but we all hope the decrease in computer costs make up for this."_

"That wraps up our business news, on to Sarah with reports on the latest immigration problems.

"Thank you Ken. Protests have been erupting in a harbour on the western shores about accepting family immigrants. They claim that people entering as a family immigrant only increase our dependency load, causing tax payers to take up the bill//

Marie reached for the second remote on the chair beside her and turned off the television. Heero glared stubbornly at her.

"Heero Yuy. I am sick of you moping around like this! I am going to kick you out of the house for some well needed entertainment!" she stood as his face transformed with shock. "You have some money, change into something more comfortable and I'll drive you into town."

Heero looked at her, a skeptical look on his face. "I'm not going out by myself."

"No," she agreed. "Ana-Marie Winner offered Quatre to come with you," she smirked. "Now get changed and meet me out the back by my car."

With that she was gone, leaving Heero no way to protest. He cursed as he changed from the black dress pants to jeans and a sweater to tee shirt. He snagged his jacket on the way out but had to go back to his room to grab his running shoes. It took only a few minutes before he was grumpily waiting by Marie's car. She smiled as she came out of the small back door, keys and a black purse in hand.

"You seem more eager then I thought," was the satisfied smirk. Heero snorted but obediently got in the passenger side and buckled his seat belt. Marie drove like a native from Italy. She drove very loosely and fast, turning signals having never been used on her old car. Heero closed his eyes to avoid contracting a blood clot in his brain from the fear. Her accented voice spoke easily as she zipped down the lightly populated dirt road into the heart of the town.

"Quatre's going to meet you at the Winner Office buildings. He was working on a practical case with one of his tutors today."

Heero tried to swallow around the dry block in his throat as he nodded. She barely slowed down for the turn on to the main street then into the parking lot. Heero released the door handle and his knee as he relaxed. After a moment of prompting from Marie, Heero undid his seat belt and opened the door. He waved her of and took the familiar path into the Winner building.

As the only tall buildings in the town, Mr. Yuy and Mr. Winner had spared no expense in the design of the head quarters for their multi-billion dollar companies. Each was curved to look like the outline of a quarter of a circle. When put together they made a full semi-circle with a small green area in the center. The gap between the two buildings created a driveway for vehicles that took one of two paths along the sidewalks to the parking lot behind. Huge and formidable, the two glass buildings claimed most of the attention in the usually calm town. 

No one dared to question the presence of the teenager as he rode his way up the elevator to the sixth floor. This was where Quatre and he always worked on one of the practical assignments at the company before Heero had started high school. Beige and grey walls made a very sophisticated look to an adult eye. Heero always commented they looked like someone puked in a prison. 

It was no trouble finding Quatre bent over a desk, his head buried in accounting books. The woman Heero remembered from his own home schooled days watched his calculations as he made them. Heero raised a hand and knocked on the open door. 

Quatre and the woman looked up. The pale features broke into a relieved smile as the tutor scowled.

"Heero!" Quatre put down his pencil and stretched the cramps in his hand.

"Heero. What are you doing here?" the woman sneered. She was one of the reasons Heero agreed to start at a school. She turned sharply to the blonde. "Keep working."

As Quatre picked up his pencil again, she shooed Heero out into the hall and closed the door.

"What are you going here?" she repeated. "I have a student working."

"Ana-Marie Winner told me I could take Quatre with me for the rest of the day," hero explained calmly. "It's an approved plan, I'm sure you've been told." 

"I was under the impression it wouldn't take place until after my lessons were conducted," she didn't stop the hard look. 

"Miss. Valetta, I know perfectly well that Mr. Winner expects all lessons to be finished at the same as a regular school. They end at three o'clock, as should your lessons," Heero pointed out, forcing all mockery and sarcasm out of his voice. He looked at her with perfectly honest eyes as she struggled to come up with a reply.

Finally she gave up. Quatre packed up his stuff and practically jogged out of the building and down the elevator. He gave a short burst of laughter as they came out in the sunlight and slowed to a walk. Quatre caught his breath as Heero started to lead him out of the office circle. 

"So," Quatre panted. "Where are we going?"

Heero shrugged. "I've never really been around town, I don't know what there is. What do you want to do?"

Quatre's eyes lit up for a minute before he blushed shyly and ducked his head. "Um, well, I've always wanted to, er, go to a…"

Heero waited patiently for him to go on. Quatre paused on the street and scratched his head sheepishly. "Um, a m-movie theatre. I've never been to one and it looks really fun!" he stammered excitedly, looking up at Heero hopefully.

"Sure," Heero shrugged. "Why not? It'll be fun."

The theatre wasn't too far away and they made it there in plenty of time for a movie to start. There were a few good films Heero really wanted to see playing but he let Quatre pick it. They bought tickets and Quatre went for popcorn and drinks when Heero saw him.

He swore his heart stopped as the glass doors opened to reveal his crush. Heero ducked behind the arcade machine, not really knowing why. There was no way the boy knew he was obsessed with him, there was no reason to hide. Heero changed his stance from a crouching one to a casual one, trying to not draw attention to himself. He felt pathetic keeping the boy in the corner of his eye as he and his friends went to buy tickets.

"What are you doing?"

Heero's feet left the ground as he jumped at the voice. Quatre stood there with the food looking at him puzzled. Heero felt his face heat up as Quatre cocked his head curiously in the direction Heero had been focused in. Then he looked back at the blushing teen.

"I asked what you were doing," Quatre restated frankly. Heero coughed and tried to change the topic.

"Oh, good! You have the food! Come on, we want to get good seats!"

The ploy worked and Quatre's face lit up at the prospect. Heero dragged him into the right theatre and they did managed to get good seats in the middle. They even got extra seats on each side of them, a major plus. It was a fairly new place so the problem of having a tall person seated in front of you was eliminated. Heero relaxed as the room slowly started to fill up during the advertisements. He absently started to eat the single bag Quatre had bought. The theatre was just darkening now and the sound was coming on when a hand touched his shoulder.

"Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?"

Heero was sure he was dead. There was no way his heart could stop beating for so long and he still be among the living. His throat dried and he felt the air against the back of his eyes. He croaked as the braided boy looked at him curiously.

"No, you can sit there," Quatre spoke from the other side of Heero. The boy thanked him and he and his blonde friend sat down. Heero clutched the armrest so tight he was surprised the plastic didn't crack. He focused his gaze on the screen, refusing to look next to him.

This was _not_ happening. This only happened in movie. He was sitting next to the most beautiful creature in the galaxy. He could feel the heat radiating from the chair next to him. He could hear his breathing. If he struggled he might even be able to hear the boy's heart beat. The movie's opening credits ended and it started.

The next two hours were a blur. Heero couldn't even recall the name of the film. He spent the whole time either clutching the arm rest trying to ignore the boy next to him or crushing popcorn in his hands and dropping it on the floor while trying to ignore the boy next to him. He couldn't sit still and by the time the movie was over, he felt ready to throw up.

He pretended to be busy gathering his jacket as he waited for the boy and his friend to leave. As they got up, the blonde commented, "Jeez, that was a cool movie, huh Duo?"

The angel nodded. "You just like it for the girls!"

"I know what you like it for, Duo Maxwell—"

The braided teen jabbed his heel on the blonde's foot as they started to move out of the aisle. Heero paused as he gathered his jacket, his face hiding a goofy smile. Quatre attempted to get his attention by poking him in the ribs but to no use.

Heero's crush had a name.

Duo Maxwell. 

**__**

GS Note: As you can tell, un-betaed as usual. Oh well! Neko should be along soon, this part just took me a while to write. Oh, and please don't hate Dorothy, you WILL all laugh, I swear ^-^


	4. Hate

**__**

GS Note: Hey yea! Here is the next part! :) I wanted it to be a bit long. It is over 3000 words, 7 pages so enjoy. Parts are gonna be slower now that school is starting tomorrow. Man, I still love those reviews! Keep them coming good folk!

Shella: Duo and Doro are brother and sister, they are living proof that water mixed with honey is waaay thicker then blood :)

Heero will get his slack just enough, no problemo. First I have to torture him a bit. But it will be well worth it, promise!

And yup, that blonde hanging with Duo and Doro is our very own Solo. I have to get that pic of him up soon seeing as I have never described him really…

That last poem is by broken soul, a friend of mine.

Chapter 3

__

Hate

//Gods be praised

My wish is answered

For a lover, a friend

My loneliness is at its end! //

Since that night at the movies Heero had become obsessed. He couldn't explain it; he couldn't even admit it to himself. He arrived at school early one day and spotted Duo coming off his bus. From there he trailed the braided boy to his locker. Heero had groaned out loud when he saw where it was, full across the building from his own. 

He seriously considered asking the tall boy Duo shared a locker with for his crush's schedule but sneered at the idea. There was no way Heero Yuy was going to stoop down to the level of a crazed teenage girl!

Dorothy kept on sneaking him funny looks during math and lunch, but he was sure she was still fixed on the Relena idea. Even Marie could tell something was different with him. She asked him about it one night as he sat in the kitchen, idly poking at his mashed potatoes.

"Heero," he took the seat across from him on the small table specifically for her to eat at. Heero's parents didn't know that he hung out with Marie in the kitchen while they were gone and Heero wasn't about to tell them. "What's wrong?"

He jumped guiltily. "Nothing. Why do you ask?"

Marie just pointed at his plate.

He had pushed the mashed potatoes in the shape of a heart and was carving a large 'D' in it.

He felt his ears flame red as he stabbed the steak next to it and began to wrestle with it. Marie rolled her eyes and snorted at his silence. 

"I know when someone has a crush, Mr. Yuy," she began to eat her corn. "I did live with five other sisters and three brothers. This is one of the worst I've seen in a long time." Heero stubbornly kept quiet and she gave up in a quiet defeat. But he missed the sly look she shot him later as he moved to put his dishes in the dishwasher.

The next day found Heero in the last place he ever expected to be.

He slumped in the comfortable chair, still trying to understand _why_ he was waiting to see the vice-principal. 

He remembered going into Art class with a fairly decent mindset. His last class had been great, a class discussion had sparked his debating skills and the challenge exhilarated him. He had sat down, like he always did, and the tormentors began to get restless. They didn't start out with small bits of paper but launched right into pencils and pen caps. Heero's good mood had evaporated instantly but he ignored them as usual, getting down to work on yesterday's assignment.

It was been taking shape, the fruit was beginning to emerge through the watercolour. Heero was almost proud of it; watercolour was not his strong point. He was putting the finishing shadow on, when a paper towel roll was fired at his ear.

Unfortunately, the bully had bad aim. It hit Heero's paintbrush, streaking blue over the green apple. It bounced on the wet paper, splattering colour and paint everywhere. Heero's near-perfectly controlled irritation snapped.

"What the **fuck** are you doing?" he growled low in his throat. He turned in his cheap chair to face the snickering boys. "I'm trying to _fucking_ work so leave me alone." 

One of the boys laughed. Heero's eyes narrowed.

It hadn't been more then one or two punches. To start out at least. He didn't mean for it to go as far as it did, really! But, despite his wishes, the class had turned into a big fight scene. Paints, paper and brushes flew through the air as one of the boys launched over the desk to attack him. It wasn't his fault the boy's arm had landed on an open tube of red and it had stained the teacher's shirt. It certainly couldn't be put on him when he had pushed the boy away into a desk and it fell over, breaking a metal leg. The kid should have worked out more. And there was no way anyone could blame him for the phone and blackboard. They must have been badly built before he slammed those two guys into them; there was no way they could break that easily other wise.

But, obviously, someone had decided Heero was to blame. So here he was, squirming in the hot leather seat, wincing as it squeaked, waiting for VP Une. It puzzled him that he was the only one sent down, but that could attribute to the fact that his teacher was terrified of her students and Heero tended to be the milder one.

He was grumbling, hiding his nervousness with a stony glare when the door opened in the quiet office. 

It was him.

Duo Maxwell stepped in sheepishly as the door slammed shut. The secretary glared furiously at him when she looked up. Heero suddenly felt pure hatred for the woman. 

"What do _you_ want?"

"Um, Mr. Graham told me to ask for the permission slips for the grade nine retreat," Duo was a little taken back from his welcome. The woman sighed and waved him to wait next to Heero.

A pleasant numbness settled over Heero's body as his mind raced for something, _anything_ to say.

"Hn."

Heero groaned inside his head. Brilliant, what a good first impression.

"Hello," Duo offered a hand. Heero stared at it for a minute before remembering what to do with it.

He felt his ears burn as he shook the hand, making for certain the expressionless mask on his face was secure. He forced himself to calm down with an iron will.

Duo's hand was warm.

"My name's Duo, I haven't seen you around before, who are you?"

"Heero Yuy." Heero gave an inner wince. It had come out a bit harsh. Duo shrugged.

"Oh, I've heard of you! You're Doro's new friend, right?"

Heero felt his brain function cease. Shock hit him like lightening. Duo Maxwell, the boy he practically considered God, knew about him? He realised with a jolt that Duo was looking at him strangely.

"Yes." Heero could feel his ears start to burn again. He buckled down again. Regis in a thong, Regis in a thong…

"So…what are you here for?"

Heero glared at the clock on the wall opposite to him. He tried his best to keep himself under control. "I was in a fight."

"Oh," Heero could feel Duo looking him over. "In the art room?"

How did he know? Heero thought he had a heart attack from the jolt he felt. Did…did Duo know his schedule? This time, Regis wasn't helping too much. Heero could feel hot excitement race through him. Duo knew he was in art! He knew who he was! Dorothy talked about him! He could feel his fingers tingling

"Uh, you're clothes are covered in paint."

It was like a splash of cold water. Heero nodded jerkily, as the secretary came back with a pile of papers. Duo waved good bye as Heero just sat there stonily. As soon as the door swished shut behind the braided teen. Heero slumped in his seat and groaned. That went well. 

VP Une stepped out of her office. 

"Heero Yuy?"

This day wasn't getting any better.

Heero had only gotten off with a warning, fortunately. VP Une had thoroughly terrified him with just her intense stare. He was glad to be out of there. The second bell hadn't rung yet but there were only ten minutes left in class. Heero wasn't about to waste them in art. 

There were older students on spares and others skipping so Heero didn't look too out of place wandering around the school. He didn't have a particular destination in mind but walked aimlessly. It didn't take long until he saw a door he had been searching for on his lunch since the beginning of school.

The library. He smiled slightly as he grabbed the handle to the heavy door and pulled. 

It was almost completely empty. Maybe six or seven students sat around the tables and another two or three reading or looking at books. The library was built on two levels, the lower one for computer and the upper one for books. Fiction was on one side, non-fiction on the other. A section was almost blocked off for children's books. There was one student in there sitting at one of the baby tables reading Franklin. On the opposite wall with the office and seminar rooms was a corner for comic books and magazines. Vertical files sat all along the tops of the bookshelves of the non-fiction.

Heero took a breath of the rich air.

The final bell rung.

Damn.

He briefly considered dodging the chauffeur but remembered that his parents had returned from a tour of France a few hours before. They were probably waiting for him. He sighed and turned to leave the room. At least now that he had found the damn library he could return here during his lunch. That is, if he could find it again.

With all the Yuys home, the quiet, empty mansion was transformed. The gardeners that worked once a day, usually during school hours, were out in full force. Heero heard and saw the dozens of maids and butlers cleaning, polishing and doing other various chores. Several men in dark suits stood around entrances looking official. Heero brushed past one on his way into the house. He felt like a dwarf next to him. He couldn't escape to the kitchen. Marie wasn't alone now that the full cooking staff was back. As usual there were also a few business people milling around doing what seemed like hundreds of tasks, from answering phones to searching for lost items. 

Heero didn't even try to find his parents. He walked unhindered to his room, glaring at anyone in his way. He felt very out of place with his school clothes on. Everyone was formal in this house; jeans and a sweater didn't follow with the dress code. After shooing out a few maids, he locked the door behind him, leaving the faint bustling noises of phones and people behind him. He took a deep breath and changed into a more dressier outfit. It was only three o'clock but he knew that, as with every returned, his parents were going to throw a small party for investors and media. 

He managed to spend almost an hour going unnoticed by the crowd. He hadn't even found his parents yet. He knew Marie wouldn't be able to talk to him, not with all these people around. In a week it would calm down and he might see her again, but not now. He was on his own.

He refamiliarised himself with the rest of the mansion while he searched for his mother and father only getting lost a few times. He forced himself to smile politely and even exchanged a few pieces of small talk before he came across an ally in trouble.

Quatre's pale face nodded formally as the older gentleman continued on with his one-sided conversation. The young teen's wide eyes casually scanned the room for someone to help him escape. He found Heero. He spared a second to look at him pleadingly before he laughed slightly at a joke the old man had made. There was a desperate edge to it.

Heero slide his way across the large semi-crowded room filled with well-dressed people, all laughing and talking about the success of his parents. He managed to get through without more then one or two interruptions. He tapped Quatre on the shoulder. The blonde turned around and smiled gratefully.

"Please excuse me, Mr. Timberwood," Heero said in a flat tone. He tried to put a bit of diplomacy in it and failed. "I need to talk to Mr. Winner for just a moment."

The older man blinked and smiled slightly. "Of course, I'm sorry for keeping you Mr. Winner."

"Think nothing of it," Quatre did a much better job of smiling and apologizing then Heero did. "I hope we can talk more later. Your views on the affect of Western economics impacting the lifestyle of Latin America is very interesting." 

Despite the regretful tone, Quatre outpaced Heero as they hurried away from the crowd and out of the room. They stayed in the narrow hall, Quatre catching his breath and Heero keeping a look out. Quatre's pale cheeks were flush but his eyes shone brightly.

"Thank you, Heero," he said as soon as he could breath properly again. 

"No problem," the tone was still monotone but the skinny teen didn't care. "Have you seen my parents?"

"I suspect they are with mine. I think they were greeting the Japanese investors by the front door."

Heero wrinkled his nose. His mother had a horrible grasp of the Japanese language. She was born in France and hadn't quite been able to change from that flowing pace to the sharp syllables of Japanese. Fortunately his father had been born and raised in Japan.

They did find Heero and Quatre's parents greeting the foreign businessmen. His father did most of the talking but his mother was able to converse with some of them through her grating Japanese and their halting English. They didn't even notice Heero.

Dinner began and they finally greeted Heero as he took his seat beside them. 

"Oh Heero! Where have you been?"

"I was looking around for you, mother," Heero replied as he took his seat and glanced across the room to where Quatre was seated beside his mother and one of his sisters. His ally was gone. 

"We met the most wonderful girl," his mother continued. "Her parents just bought some of our shares. She's just lovely, I'll introduce you tonight."

Heero felt he urge to smash his head against the table. Or maybe a wall, a nice thick brick wall. Nobody would mind…

Heero suddenly wished, not for the first time, he was just a normal kid. Not rich, not living the good life, but normal with an annoying little sister, a loud dog, parents who were worried about mortgage payments and that cranky neighbour next door. He wanted to veg out in front of the television with a pop and chip, spending an hour and a half on the phone with his friends or hanging out and playing basketball. Instead, here he was. Eating food he didn't recognize, listening to people talk about the business world and _understanding_ it better then they did. He parents were setting him up with someone he didn't even like. He couldn't even yell at them, or talk back because they weren't ever _there_.

This wasn't a childhood. It was prison. 

Heero ate the dinner. He smiled at the guests. He forced a friendly tone with the French girl. He listened to the endless chatter. He kept his thoughts to himself. 

But, when the guests left at about three in the morning and he was finally free to talk to his parents, he didn't hold back.

"Wasn't Anne-Marie lovely—"

"I hate this."

"What?" his parents said in a shocked tone at once. It was almost funny how their faces matched. Almost.

"I hate this life. I'm not doing anymore of these parties. I'm going to bed and when you leave on your next trip to Germany or what not, don't find anymore girls for me. I'm going to bed to get some sleep so I can go to school in a few hours and have a normal life. Bye."

He turned and didn't wait for a reaction. He walked calmly up the stairs, ignoring the last guests and staff. He opened his door with steady hands, stepped in and turned to look hatefully at the hall. In one smooth motion he slammed the door with all his might. He felt a bit better.

He brushed his teeth, changed and crawled into bed. The clock in his room told him he had to wake up again in four more hours. He sat quietly in the dark thinking, before twisting and slamming his fist against the wall behind his bed. He felt a bit better.

He clicked on the reading light on the table beside his bed. Opening a small drawer on the table, he pulled out a small, cheap notebook and a pen.

__

//I hate you.

I hate what you do,

I hate what you are,

I hate the way you talk

I hate the way you speak

I hate you

I hate everything about you.

I hate the way I want to kill you.

I hate the way I see it so easily

But mostly I hate the way,

You never even care.

Not

Even

One 

Little

Bit.//

Heero put the notebook and pen back. He flicked off the light and pulled the blankets up to his chin. He felt a bit better.

__


	5. Losing Control

**__**

GS Note: I feel kind of bad, neglecting this story and all for a month. Don't worry though, once Neko is done I can set this one and another story in the Tale Arc on a schedule and it will be more regular. I promise. Well, to the extent of what my promises mean anyway!

Um, poem are crap because I wrote them. Sorry! ^_^*

Tales of Love

__

Losing Control

Yanked away from all that is new

Pulled into the abyss of the past

Change is not an option,

Fresh is not a choice.

Growing up never existed

And growing young is too fast.

It was in a numb silence that Heero slumped in his first class. He knew his teacher was talking but it seemed like the words flew over his head. He snorted, what was the point in paying attention? He may not even be here tomorrow. He slumped lower in his seat, a dull ache in his lower back but he ignored it. Maybe it would serve his parents right if they had to spend thousands of dollars for him to see a chiropractor for back problems later. 

He knew his teacher was going to catch him but once again felt the need to obey authority slip past him. He had obeyed thoughtlessly for most of his life and see where it got him. Another loser wallflower in a crummy school, eyes glued to the clock in the hopes that a strange, mythical power he hadn't discovered before in himself would emerge and just move that minute hand a few second faster. He squinted at the long black arm, there was always a chance, you know. His great-great aunt had been a satanic—

"Heero Yuy, maybe you can enlighten us."

A spark of rebellion was lighted in the teen's eyes as he turned to his young teacher.

"No, sir, I believe I can't."

There were thirty odd people in the class, some of which were sleeping, most which were talking or passing notes, and a small few paying attention. The teacher moved onto one of those people. Heero gazed back at the clock with a small smile. Maybe this rebel thing wasn't as hard as it looked. 

When the bell did ring he briefly considered not wasting him time fighting the crowds and rushing to not be late and just skip his next class. What was the point in going when he wouldn't even get the chance to in a few days? He paused outside the Science door thinking before uttering a sigh and trudged slowly off to the gyms. He didn't want a lecture from Dorothy next period.

He did arrive late though. He kind of hoped he would get in a bit of trouble but was disappointed when Miss Noin wasn't even there. He took his seat glumly and set his head in his arms on his desk, intent of catching some sleep.

He could hear unrest around his little world as students began muttering about the lateness of the teacher. Soon, the small whispers turned into full out talking until the only occupied desks belonged to himself and Dorothy. He ignored the class as they began to mill around the room uncontrolled. The blonde girl sighed, leaned back, closed her eyes to a slit and looked critically at Heero. Usually, the boy was upright and attentive, with or without the teacher in the class. Now he just looked defeated.

She resolved to straighten the whole mess out during lunch. Something had happened and as a Heero's only school friend, she was obligated to find out what.

Classes in the school were seventy-four minutes long with six periods. Four of the periods, everyone besides first and sixth, have a quarter of the school on a seventy-four minute lunch period. That lunch period was a haven if it was received on third, fourth or fifth. Each of these periods happened after ten thirty in the morning, which provided an almost sane time to be eating lunch. Some unfortunate students, though, ate for the only time during the day at nine-thirty. Heero and Dorothy had never experienced the weariness of an early lunch/breakfast like this.

"I don't think Noin's showing up," Dorothy announced quite loudly after half an hour. No one seemed to hear her. She sighed and packed up her books again. She stood up, not that anyone noticed. Only a few people were still seated. She reached over and poked Hero awake. He blinked up at her.

"I'm leaving," she said. "Are you coming?"

Heero nodded and yawned. He rubbed his eyes then picked up his bag. He hadn't even bothered to unzip it. Dorothy felt butterflies in her stomach as she opened the door and poked her head out. The silence seemed ridiculous compared to the noise in the class. The hall was deserted. Casually, she shouldered her bag and left the class. Heero followed and closed the door. It wasn't hard to take the second way out of the hallway and leave the school all together.

The air was starting to get a bit chilly. Dorothy's teeth started to chatter as the wind ran chill up her bare legs. Fortunately, the heavy denim skirt didn't blow around in the breeze. She grabbed Heero's arm and steered the downcast teenager to the library entrance. Warm air was a relief as she did a few small jumps to get rid of the goose bumps that had ran up her legs and arms.

Heero stuffed his hand in the pockets of his jeans as Dorothy grabbed his elbow again and pulled him to a vacant table. She forcibly shoved him into a chair then pulled one out for herself across from him. He snorted at the determined look on her face and slouched back, his eyes focussing on the wall.

"So," she opened the conversation. "Care to tell me what's wrong in that head of yours?"

"No."

She narrowed her eyes. "Oh really? Do you think I'm going to let you get off _that_ easily?"

"Yes."

"What if I where too…" she trailed off and tried to think of a decent threat. "Decorate your locker with fuzzy, pink, pipe cleaner flowers?"

"I'll move them to yours."

Dorothy gave a shudder at the thought. "Um, force feed you cow manure?"

"I'd like to see you pick it up."

"You're just making it harder on yourself!"

Heero snorted, unimpressed, but he looked thoughtfully at Dorothy for a minute. Her firm resolved made him sigh in defeat. "Do you promise to leave me alone if I talk?"

"No."

"Then why should I tell you?"

"If you don't, I'll nag you until our actual lunch is over. But, I see a book I want to look at over there. Hint, hint."

"It's better then nothing I guess," he mumbled. Heero cleared his throat. "My parents think my attitude is a bit too uppity since I started going to school this year. They want to pull me out and put me back in home schooling."

"Is that it?"

Dorothy's tone was amused as Heero look at her in surprise. He scowled deeply at her smile and slumped down so only his shoulders were at the table height. He glared at the table spitefully.

"I'm sorry," she apologized but couldn't keep a grin off her face. "I know it may seem impossible to you, but trust me, it's not that big of a deal. You parents will probably forget about in a while and you'll have worried about it for nothing."

"What if you're not bluffing, huh? What then?"

"Hunger strike?"

"What? Do you not _want_ me here?" Heero's voice dripped with bitterness. Dorothy's smile dropped immediately. 

"Of course not!" she sounded shocked. "Who will I hang with and bad mouth Noin to? Just trust me, things will work out. They always do. If you're down and don't want to deal with life, then don't. Just go with the flow. When things get bad you have to ride them out and not fight them, trust me. Fighting fate is _bad_. I know first hand."

Heero looked hard at her sad expression but kept his tongue in check from asking questions. She seemed lost in thought for a minute then look up, a genuine smile on her face.

"Now that that's off your chest, do you mind not being _more_ of a party pooper? Look, we have a free period! What can be better then less classes?"

Heero gave a soft smile. "No classes?"

"Exactly!" she grinned and went to pick up her bag. Heero followed her example as she began to lead him out of the library. "Now, that's a bit much to hope for so we have to enjoy the remaining forty-five minutes or so before we have our actually lunch and return to our normally scheduled lives!"

Even Heero couldn't help but catch her enthusiasm. 

***

Heero avoided his ride home and crossed the street to the hidden driveway leading to the back of their estate. He sigh, the car really was ridiculous. He made his way up the tree-sheltered path, his back weighing on his back as the worried began to bombard him again. How could he deal without Dorothy now? Things might not blow over then where would he be? Like poor Quatre, that's where. A polished lapdog waiting for his masters beckon. 

As he walked up the cool, shady dirt road, Heero resolved right then and there to _never_ become a slave to his parents. A child yes, but never a slave. He'd never trade his free choice for a warm bed and money.

The stables behind the house were thankfully quiet as he sneaked past them, the pool and tennis court. He let himself in the small door under the massive porch. The dank, forgotten cellar was cold but Heero didn't care as he felt along the wall to find the stairs in the pitch-black room. Finally, his hand met with the rail and he carefully felt his way up the rickety wooden steps. 

The cellar opened into the back end of the kitchen but was rarely used as only Marie and Heero were regularly fed at the house. Food for guests were catered in most of the time. The kitchen was empty. Heero breathed a sigh of relief as he made his way from the kitchen to his wing of the house to his bedroom. He shed his clothes quickly and dressed into a less comfortable but more presentable outfit. His parents were still home. Heero thought they were leaving tonight but it never hurt to dress to their standards when he wanted something.

As he started the walk from his bedroom to the front hall he spotted the car that usually drove him home through the window. The chauffeur got out and passed the keys to the valet before shaking his head in an annoyed manner. Heero barely hid a smirk as the man stomped up to the house. 

He found his way to the front door and saw a pile of bags all ready packed. There were several people starting to carry them to one of the cars parked outside the door. His parents must just be ready to leave. He took a seat on two matching suitcases.

Heero never where to find his parents when they were home. The house was so huge and his wing was so isolated that Heero didn't even know what most of the rooms were. He knew his wing off by heart but the guest suite, master room, gym and such were a waste of time for him to explore. At least, they had been before. Now Heero wasn't so sure if a little adventure wasn't in order.

He could pack a lunch or something, take a blanket and spend his weekend mapping the place. There was probably a blueprint around somewhere but where would the fun be? Maybe he should take a ball of string to mark his way… Might as well make that a _bale_ of string. Yea, he could just tie the end to a door handle and push it with his foot. He's need more then one meal, that's for sure—

Heero looked up to see his parents walking to the door. They were being followed by a small group of people in business suits holding papers, folders, briefcases and phones. The couple looked happy and content as they handled last minute paperwork, split second decisions and other important stuff Heero didn't care to know about. They looked every inch a professional, perfect couple. Heero felt pity take a grip around him. He wondered not for the first time what he parents were _really_ like.

It was a question for sure. Heero had no idea where he got his talents from, his personality traits or quirks, and even his looks. His eyes were blue while his mother's were brown and his father's hazel. Was there a relative somewhere that they hadn't told him about? Or maybe—

"Son!" His mother held out a hand. Heero stood out and held it in a handshake. It was like talking to a stranger. "Be good while your father and I are gone."

"I was wondering," Heero hesitated as the busy crowd around them lulled a bit. He felt suddenly nervous as most eyes and ears were attentive on him. "About, the school… that thing you were talking about that night? The thing about taking me out…"

His mother look at him blankly for a second before she remembered. "Oh yes! Well, there's not enough time to discuss it now, perhaps when we get back we can talk about moving you back into home schooling. Your father and I will be back in two months."

Heero stared at her for a moment, trying to regain his wits. She kept up a polite smile for a moment before she grew uncomfortable and turned to his father.

"Some along, dearest. We are going to miss our plane."

"Right," his father nodded and ignored the protesting crowd as he turned to follow his wife out of the door and down to the first car. The luggage Heero had been sitting on was picked up and moved to the second car as they waved goodbye and slid into the tinted back seat.

The two cars rolled out of the round driveway carefully. The crowd surrounding the door suddenly began to dissipate with people turning to lock papers up and going out to their cars. It was only a matter of minutes before even the valet was gone. It was him and Marie alone in the house again.

Heero closed the door and leaned against it for a minute when the words finally sunk in.

A huge grin took over his face as he almost giggled in glee. It really was going to turn out okay. Maybe Dorothy was right about the whole go with the flow theory. It was less stressful to let your life control you then you controlling your life. Life has been around for millions of years, who was Heero Yuy to claim he knew better then fate?

Fate led the willing and dragged the rest kicking and screaming. Might as well enjoy the view.

__

Control, what's that?

Winning, a dream no more!

_Complications never appear,_

Life is simple.

Just live it

Let the rest up Fate.

There is no running,

No hiding,

No pleading.

Let not yourself control

On the chance you are controlled.


	6. Maybes and Mistakes

**__**

GS Note: Let it be know that it is the first snowfall of the year in my town on October the 22, 2002. Yea! I loooove snow! More snow days! ^_^

Man, you peeps are amazing. Waiting for me so long… I feel horrible so to make it up to you, I'm making a pact. And you all have to re-enforce it. I promise, the next chapter will be out in two weeks tops or you can all flame me. Got it? 

Tales of Love

__

Maybes and Mistakes

Maybe it was wishful thinking

Maybe it was hopeful dreaming

But somehow it was thought

That love is eternal

Beautiful and sacred.

A month had gone by since Heero had seen his parents. From Germany they had gone straight to a potential investor in Belgium then Ireland. Heero didn't know when they were going to be back. In the mean time, he planned on enjoying his newfound adolescence.

"Are you sure about this?" For some reason, Heero felt the urge to strangle Dorothy or marvel at her genius.

"Of course!" she sighed. "It has never failed me before!"

"Still," Heero looked at their creation somewhat unsure. "It looks a bit…dangerous."

"I swear to you," she rolled her eyes in silent exasperation. "It won't explode."

"And if it does?" Heero took a small step back from the plate sitting innocently on the small shelf beside the brand-new microwave in the café. The lunch period was still new but most people were waiting in line for food and weren't looking in their direction.

"Then I don't know you," she mocked him and planted her hands on her hips waiting. "Are you ready?"

"I'm not doing anything," he raised his hands up stubbornly and glared at her. "But I'm ready to watch."

Dorothy took that answer satisfied and picked up the plastic bowl. She opened the door with a click and carefully placed the bowl, with pasta in it, on the glass bottom. She shut the door confidently and hit a few buttons for the right time. She pressed start.

Heero took another step back as the food began to spin. Dorothy just watched it calmly.

"Um," Heero cleared his throat as he noticed something suspicious. "Aren't you supposed to take the metal fork out _before_ you turn on the microwave?"

He didn't think Dorothy's eyes could get so wide. She whirled in horror to the appliance but it was too late. With a loud bang, the once-clean door was splattered with orange tomato sauce. A flying fork clattered against the door too as Dorothy cursed and opened it. Steam poured angrily out as sparks began to fly from the back of the machine. Dorothy managed to leap back as the plastic coatings on the wires melted and the wooden stand holding the microwave up caught fire. She grabbed Heero's arm and began to drag him to the middle of the gathering crowd.

The smell of burning plastic filled the air as a few people began to scream and even more to laugh. The front of the crowd was beginning to move even closer to the burning wreck when the fire alarm went off. Dorothy let go of Heero and clamped her hands over her ears as it echoed in the high ceiling. Heero just groaned as the backed away to fringes.

Teachers showed up to usher them out of the building into the freezing October air. They were pushed by the crowd out to behind the teacher parking lot. The brisk breeze cut right through their thin clothes. Heero crossed his arms defiantly, refusing to acknowledge the spreading goose bumps over his arms and neck. Dorothy decided to chicken out and huddled in the lee of his body, sheltered from the wind.

As she soaked in Heero's warmth, she scanned the crowd hoping to spot more friends. 

"Hey!" she abandoned her shield and braved the cold for a moment as she waved out. "Solo! Over here!"

Heero glanced over to where she was waving and saw the tall blonde boy respond and begin to make his way over. Heero glanced at his watch. It had been six minutes and not a single fire truck to be seen. Solo squeezed through the last group of people and popped out on the other side of Dorothy.

"Whew," he went to wipe his forehead but stopped and smiled sheepishly when he realised he wasn't sweating. "This is fun. Mr. Granger was about to make another girl cry today. What happened anyway?"

Dorothy's cheeks tinged a bit but tried to look away. "I don't know. Heero, do you know anything?"

Heero snorted and tried his best to not succumb to the cold. "I think it was that metal fork you left on your plate in the microwave."

Dorothy glared at him as Solo looked from him to her then burst out in laughter. The blonde girl just sighed and looked annoyed as Solo slowly calmed down and wiped tears from his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Doro," he tried to stop. "But really?" he chuckled again then just smiled merrily. "Oh well, got me out of com tech for the moment. Think you can do it again for fifth, I have a math test I don't want to take!"

"Hardy harhar," Dorothy rolled her eyes. She stepped away from Heero again and looked out of the crowd, her teeth chattering. "D-do you see Duo?"

"Not yet," Solo shook his head. His arms were wrapped tightly around his body too. "But I'm kind of hoping we can go back in soon. It's way to cold to be out today."

"Isn't the fire station only down the road?" Heero spoke quietly. He had never met Solo before but he ignored his shyness. "Why is it taking so long?"

"It's a volunteer station," Dorothy shrugged and huddled closer into her own arms. She proudly refused to use Heero's body heat again. If neither boy beside her was going to react to the chilly outside, she wasn't going to either. "They have to get there first in order to come here."

"Oh." Heero frowned. He had lived here all his life, why had he not known that?

Finally, a straggling cheer rose up from the teachers and students as two blaring red trucks whirled into the parking lot and pulled to a stop at the entrance. A few men jumped out and greeted Mr. Kushrinada. It took only a few minutes for the firemen to get organized and in the school.

Heero shivered slightly as he felt a tiny snowflake hit his elbow and melt. Another hit his nose. Then another his eyelash. Pretty soon, dozens of small, sparkling flakes were falling from the overcast sky and on to the shaking crowd of teens. Several hurried to their cars and Heero watched jealously as they blasted the heat. Then he snorted and turned back.

Apparently, the fire was out. Of the five men that had gone in, four were outside and packing up their supplies. The last one was just coming out now, holding something smoking in his thick glove. He paused by the principal and they spoke a bit before all five of the men got back in their truck and left as quickly as they had came.

"Finally," Dorothy muttered as the teachers began to usher them back into the school. Even Heero relaxed when he walked into the heated building amid the crush of students.

Solo waved as he shouted, "I gotta jet! See ya at the Church Doro!"

He shrugged off the comment as Dorothy waved over the crowd. They separated from the moving bodies as soon as they could and wove their way back into the café where three teachers were positioned around the blackened corner, glaring fiercely at anyone who came close.

"Come on," Dorothy grabbed Heero's elbow and pushed her way determinedly through the crowd. "Let's go see what they know!"

"I don't think this is a good idea," Heero allowed himself to be dragged while he protested with a heavy scowl. Dorothy just ignored him as they reached the closest circle of people. One of the teachers, an older man, was trying his best to intimidate a group of druggies.

"Mr. Dekim!" Heero watched as Dorothy's voice seemed to rise over the dim of the echoing cafe slowed the conversation around them slightly. "What happened to this place?"

"We really don't know yet," the old man shook his head. "But if you would please, Miss Catolonia, step back…"

Dorothy cursed under her breath and turned. She pushed Heero back out the way they had come in. Heero just passively let himself be used as a human plow, glaring at anyone who didn't move.

***

Heero drained the glass as he finished his story and looked over to the cooling tray sneakily.

"Did they find out who started the fire?" Marie was busy whisking around the kitchen. She added another batch of hot chocolate chip cookies onto an empty cooling rack and the next second was adding more dough on the cookie tray. Heero trained his eye on one of the fresh cookies, his fingers twitching.

"What? Oh know, no one was caught yet," Heero tried to focus on the conversation but folding his hands in his lap, waiting patiently for the right moment. Marie turned to put the new batch of cookies in the oven.

Heero's hand flashed out and snagged a warm cookie. He shoved the whole thing in his mouth. Half a second later the temperature registered. Marie turned quickly at Heero's choking noise and looked at him suspiciously as he coughed and hid his face with one hand. Under her eye, he poured another glass of milk with his free hand and tried to casually wash the burning treat down.

"The cookies are still hot," Marie smirked and set the timer. "Don't try and eat them."

Heero snorted and glared as he swallowed painfully. Marie just chuckled under her breath.

Heero had holed himself up in his room again that night. He was lazily flicking through the channels with a map of the world open on his lap and no intention of completing the sheet of questions that accompanied it. He had said good night to Marie an hour ago and was daring the clock beside his bed to send him to sleep. Heero knew he was tempting fates and that he would hate himself tomorrow when he had to wake up.

He paused on a documentary that looked interesting. Settling back, Heero closed his books and set the timer on his television to shut of in two hours, just in case he fell asleep. He set the remote on the ground. 

It wasn't long before he had finally gotten annoyed with media reports of UFOs and reached for his bed stand to change the channel. His hand fell on empty hardwood.

Heero cursed and tried to reach the remote on the ground. He stopped short of himself getting up and resigned himself to watch the boring propaganda. Unbidden, his eyes began to slowly shut. The clock blinked beside him. It was 3 am.

***

"And now, if you would pass your homework to the front."

Heero felt his mind jolt like lightning for the tenth time in the class. He dragged his head up from his arms feeling like he was sitting in a jar of glue. He couldn't keep his eye open and the noise in the class drifted over his head. He felt himself fuzz out again.

A poke on the back pushed him back into reality. He took the sheet of papers from the person behind him and handed them off to the front. He mentally started to curse himself for not doing the homework but forgot what he was cursing about before he completed the thought. His eyes drifted closed again.

Half on hour later, he was kicked out of his chair by the next class and he tried to remember what he had for second period.

A savoir appeared in the form of a teenaged girl.

"Hey Heero, we're going to have to hurry if we want to miss the gym class." Heero nearly hit the wall as Dorothy seemed to transport to his side. "I think they're playing football this week and I do not want to try and dodge that! Unless you can catch of course."

Heero let his feet follow her automatically before her words registered and he translated them. He cleared his throat to respond.

"Did you get question 2a?" Dorothy didn't seem bothered by his silence as she started to steer him down the right maze of halls. She glanced at her watch but only subtly changed their speed a little. "I don't know if I'm right and I have no clue how the back of the book got 25."

Heero struggled to keep his brain into the one-sided conversation as he was propelled through the doors and eventually into the math class. Miss Noin was in the class and writing on the board. Dorothy pushed him in his seat as the second bell rang and she settled in hers.

Math class was a repeat of geography. Heero dozed off easily in the warm class. Only a key word or change of tone snapped him out of his trance a moment before he slipped into sleep. Fortunately, Miss Noin never checked homework and only called on people who raised their hands. 

Dorothy didn't head to the café but hauled them both into the library while it was still empty and got them two seats. She opened a textbook on Heero's lap and told him teasingly to go to sleep. Heero tried to glare at her but his eyes drifted closed.

He hovered in the fragile space between wakefulness and dreamland for half an hour. He dimly heard Dorothy turning pages beside him and someone kicked his foot by accident. Dorothy left and he barely heard her say something about being right back.

His chair shook a bit as someone took the seat next to him. He struggled to open his eyes, the bright light making the scene of the library look unnatural.

"Hey," Heero cleared his thick throat. "Someone's—"

The film in his mouth dried up and the last traces of sleep left him as he spotted the culprit. His heart stopped for a good few seconds then started backup wildly. Duo Maxwell grinned at him from his slumped seat on the chair.

"I know, I know!" Duo held up his hands defensively. "Doro is coming back. I'm just out for a minute and stopped by to say hi to her. Heero, right?"

"Yea," Heero shook his head. "I mean, yes."

There was a tense silence between them as a girl flipped through a squeaky turning rack of books beside them. Duo blinked as Heero fought the urge to twiddle his thumbs in nervousness. His laces on his shoes suddenly became very interesting.

"So," Duo trailed off, trying to make conversation. "Any good courses this semester?"

"I guess," Heero grunted moved from his shoes to the grayish carpet beneath them. 

"What do you have?"

"Geography, math, art…" Heero shrugged in a non-caring way. Duo nodded and tried to look interested. Heero gripped the textbook on his lap with iron fingers. Duo began to play with his braid, not noticing the discreet looks Heero shot him from under his shaggy bangs. 

"Duo!" They both snapped at the voice and looked up to where Dorothy was making her way across the library to them "What are you doing out of class?"

"Bathroom break!" he grinned widely. The tension was broken as Duo stood up and Heero started to mental curse himself. "Miss Barony doesn't care how long I'm gone so I decided to come and say hi. So, hi."

"Get back to class, you moron," Dorothy laughed and shoved him towards the door playfully. "Knowing you, she'll probably made an exception this time!"

Duo laughed his agreement and left with a backward wave. Dorothy sat down in her chair again, then noticed Heero staring after the boy.

"That's Duo Maxwell," she supplied, mistaking his stare for confusion.

"I know," Heero replied, not really listening to her.

"Oh," she opened her book again. "You have him in a class or something?"

"No."

"Really," she looked up and at him curiously. "How do you know him then?"

Heero looked back at her and panicked. "Well, I guess I've run into him a lot! Why do you care?"

"No reason," Dorothy took and extra long skeptical look at Heero then turned back to her novel. Heero snorted but the need for sleep had disappeared. His mind was milling over with thoughts.

Had Dorothy caught on? He thought feverishly. No, how common is it for people to even think that a boy might have a crush on another boy. It was almost unheard of these days. No impossible but it's not the first thing on a person's mind. No, Dorothy couldn't have figured out.

Right?

__

Uncertain,

Unsure,

Unaware,

Unknown am I.

One, two, three,

Chose a choice,

Stop killing me.


	7. Changing Faces

**__**

GS Note: Sigh, it's waaaaaaaaaay late. I'm sorry. MASSIVE writer's block on this one, sorry ^_^ I started, came back later then didn't like where it was heading. As I'm writing this note, I'm on 3000 words of utter bull. Damn, this chapter needs a plot…I wonder how far I have to reach to get one? ^_^

Chapter 6

__

Changing Faces

Softly falling down

__

Slowly turning 'round and 'round

Quiet the dawn light

Sunlight crept slowly up along the tree line, barely hinting light across the farmers' fields outside of the snowy town. Slowly, people were starting their cars and brushing off the latest of the night's results. Soft snowflakes still twinkled down in the growing light, adding to the thick layer of white on the ground.

Heero's alarm clock went off. The mound of blankets shifted slightly as the body underneath groaned. Messy hair appeared from the top as one brilliant blue eye glared at the small, noisy machine. It buzzed on happily. Heero pulled his leaden body with his arms to the edge of the blankets and braved a bare arm out of the warm shelter. He reached on the ground.

There was a bang and gargle as the buzz slowed then died. Heero released the shoe, now on top of the clock, and snuggled back into the heat. It only took a minute for him to figure out he wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep. With a long-suffered groan, he pushed himself up and slid out from the bed.

With bare feet, he padded quietly across the carpeted room, out into the hall and across to the bathroom. He didn't both to shut the door as he sleepily brushed his teeth, his eyes still half closed.

He took a quick shower and then, now awake, walked back to his room and shuffled through his closet with his free hand, the other holding up his towel.

"Stupid alarm clock," Heero muttered under his breath as he pulled out some clothes. "They can make it tell me what day of the week it is, can I get it to not ring on a Saturday? Nooo, that's too bloody difficult…"

After he got dressed, the silence of the house suddenly began to weigh down on him. Marie wasn't here, she had flown back to Italy yesterday to visit her family during her winter holiday. The driveway had been shoveled earlier that morning and everyone was on vacation. Even the three horses his parents kept were only looked after early in the morning and late that evening. Heero was alone.

Feeling a bit lost and uneasy, Heero went to the small kitchen where he and Marie always made themselves their meals and ate a bowl of cereal in silence. 

Heero had dressed lightly in a tee shirt, jeans and bare feet but he suddenly had a desire to be outside. Spontaneous ideas were never a Yuy trait. Strategy, planning and well-thought out actions were more like law then tradition. Heero gave a mental finger to the rulebooks. Without a plan in his head, he placed the bowl and spoon in the sink and hurried back up stairs, his feet echoing down the halls.

There was a city bus that started its route at the high school mid morning on the weekends. Heero had never taken it before but now he hurriedly pulled on a sweater and socks then checked his wallet for money. Even wandering around in the small town alone was better then being here. 

It would be an adventure, Heero thought while he started to gather some stuff together. He had never really wandered around the town; the most he had ever gone to was the movie theatre, the office buildings and maybe a few choice stores with his tutors. He usually stayed at home, was in the city or out of the country. Kind of pathetic when he thought about it. 

He still had half an hour before the bus left the parking lot as he pulled on his jacket and gloves. The school may only be across the street but the house was so tucked back and hidden in the trees, Heero would take some time to get out.

Even after the snow had been plowed out, a thin layer had settled on top of the ice and Heero slid at parts. He almost fell several times but caught himself just in time. With a sigh of relief, he checked the dirt road before cross into the school parking lot where the driver was just beginning to warm up the large white bus.

Frozen even with his extra layers, Heero's teeth chattered as he knocked on the glass door with a gloved hand. The driver look up startled but opened the door for him. He sighed as he hit the heated air.

The bus driver was an older man with snowy white hair (or what was left of it) and thick glasses that magnified his eyes. When he glanced up, Heero saw that he was missing two of his yellowed teeth. The teen forced on what he hoped was a non-murderous glare.

"I haven't seen you before," the man greeted Heero with a smile. "New in town?"

"No," Heero shook the snow out of his hair. "I just don't have a ride into town today."

"Oh," the man nodded understandably. "Well, just drop your money in the dish and we'll be off soon. I take this bus through the town then into the big city, around there for a few hours and then back again every weekend. I'm just waiting for that nice little blonde boy to come. He's been on everyday for the past two months. Now he can have some company besides an old man!" The guy chuckled as Heero dropped his change in and quietly took a seat near the middle. 

He unzipped his jacket and took off his gloves as he started to warm up again. There was a small knock on the glass door. Heero didn't look up as the driver greeted the new passenger cheerfully. He did, however, look when he heard the voice replying. 

Quatre took the hat off his head and shook it as he smiled happily at the driver then looked down the aisle. Heero almost smiled at the start Quatre gave him.

"Heero?" the blonde boy moved confidently down the swept aisle and took the seat across from Heero. "What are you doing here?"

The cold made the pale boy unusually flush. It was strange to see colour in Quatre's face. "I decided to go out and no one was there to take me."

"I'm going Christmas shopping down in the city," Quatre grinned. "I was planning on going alone, do you want to come with me? That is, if you don't have any plans."

Heero shook his head. "I think I will. Thanks."

There was a crunch as the driver put the bus into gear and lurched off of the slippery snow. Heero and Quatre didn't speak as the bus rushed down the white road, swaying slowly from side to side as it slipped in the snow. 

The bus didn't stop until it reached the edges of the town and picked up a _very_ close teen couple. Heero had to politely divert his eyes as they huddled up in the back seat, whispering and giggling. He sighed when Quatre leaned over to tell him the bus didn't reach the city for another hour and edged closer to the cold wall of the bus to look at the passing landscape.

They went along the main streets in the town and picked up a few people. By the time they left there were all ready over ten people on the bus. Heero looked at them through half-closed eyes. Besides the couple in the back, an old woman was knitting a few seats down from him, three older students were having a quiet discussion on a book, two men were sleeping dressed in factory uniforms and even more people were dozing or reading. It looked like he was the only new addition to the route.

The bus made its final stop at the edge of the town, near the railroad tracks. Heero didn't look out of his window here; it was the shabby slums of the town. He instead busied himself with the contents of his jacket as he tried to awkwardly avoid looking at the shivering people on the side of the road.

It wasn't like he felt he was better the people, it just made him a bit uncomfortable to see an environment so alien to his own. Guilty even. He did, however, look at the man who had gotten on. The man took a lot of time counting out the change in the pocket of his tattered coat and took a seat in the very front of the bus.

His face was dirty and unshaven as he looked around nervously, his ungloved hands clenching in his lap. Heero frowned a bit but went back to staring out of the window now that it had passed completely out of the town. 

The bus moved onto the highway and started to pick up speed as it hurried along the plowed road. It felt a lot longer then it should have been but Heero was preoccupied with the man sitting in the front seat. Why would a person like him need to go to the city and why was he so nervous? Was he in trouble, was there something dangerous about him? Now that Heero thought about it, he did seem to be looking out the window a lot and back at the other passengers angrily. Heero suddenly found himself at the receiving end of a glare. He quickly moved his gaze from the man to the woman knitting. His mind raced though with different scenarios. He prayed to get off the bus soon.

Heero never felt so relieved when he saw the high rises of the city in the distance. He felt himself relax totally when the man got off at the first stop. Danger averted.

He and Quatre got off next and he felt lost. He had come into the city often enough when he was younger but he didn't recognize anything in this section. Placing his mask of indifference on, he followed the younger boy down the shop-filled streets. They went unnoticed in the bustling crowd as Quatre jauntily moved down the sidewalk to some unknown destination. Heero was mildly surprised when Quatre stopped outside of a small shop and opened the door. 

The room was decorated in varies shades of pinks, reds, purples and dashes of blue and yellow. Clothes and jewelry lined the shop's wall and racks of books and other items were crammed in at the back of the store.

"Quatre," Heero asked low under his breath. "Why are we in a women's store?"

Quatre paused and threw a disbelieving look over his shoulder. "I _do_ have 29 sisters."

This Quatre was different from the other's Heero had seen. There was the small, pale stuttering boy he had grown up with in tutoring, the diplomatic one at his parent's party, the shy teen he spent time with in town and now this confident _relaxed_ one. Heero was taken back by the casual posture and tone Quatre adopted as he rifled through a nearby rack of blouses.

There was a click of heeled shoes as the curtain to the room behind the counter was swept back. A heavy woman dressed in an overly red suit and outrageous pink makeup stepped out. Quatre looked up, smiled slightly, then look back down at the lavender shirt he was holding.

"What do you think about this for Flora?" Quatre asked suddenly and turned around to Heero holding the shirt to his chest. "Her complexion is fairly close to mine, right? I think we have the same mother, but she might have been born the divorce before me."

Heero took a small step back. "Is she one of the ones still at home?"

"No, she's five years older then me so she's in college now. I guess we are only half-siblings then. It must be Faith who has the same mother then. I always get them mixed up. Oh well, I think this goes with her eyes."

For the next few hours Heero was dragged from shop to shop to examine various pieces of clothing, jewelry, books and toys while receiving a lesson on the Winner family tree. His hands and arms steadily filled up with boxes and bags until it became an effort to peer over the top of the Bootlegger jean bag. Quatre wasn't unhampered either, those his burdens consisted mainly of half a dozen bags he readily put down every time he went to look at something.

The streetlights were all ready lighting up when Heero and Quatre finally sat down on the worn park bench (mercifully free of snow) inside the waiting box for the bus. Heero dropped the purchases on the bench next to him before he felt his knees give out and he plopped gratefully down. Quatre breathed a sigh of relief as he settled down beside Heero, the bags he carried going at his feet. While Heero leaned back and took a breath, Quatre checked his watch.

"We still have ten minutes before the bus comes," he turned and smiled at Heero. Heero opened his eyes open and glared from beneath his snow-dusted eyelashes. Quatre could only grin harder. "Today was fun, wasn't it?"

Heero snorted softly as he closed his eyes again and relaxed. It was kind of refreshing to see this type of attitude in the blonde, a much-needed improvement over the shy one he thought he knew. Heero stretched the sore muscles in his fingers as he wondered just what had happened to make this change. 

"Don't worry," was all Quatre said when the bus turned down the snowy street and made its way cautiously towards the stop. "The bus should fairly empty right now, most people stay in the city. I hope at least."

Heero heaved his heavy bags and boxes up again. He sighed; they seemed a lot heavier then when he had put them down for some reason. After a lot of bumping, painful toe stubbing and an almost embarrassing slip later, Heero practically threw the hated shopping into an empty seat and quickly stole the window as Quatre paid and put his own bags down.

Heero's arms ached and he turned to glare at the blonde teen smiling apologetically.

"You shop like a woman."

"No," Quatre shook his head. "I shop _for_ woman. There's a difference, I swear. I didn't make you try anything on, did I?"

Heero snorted and smiled slightly. "There was that one dress where you said I was about the same size as your sister Elena."

The bus started with a jolt, throwing Heero back against the seat. He felt a childish urge to stick his tongue out at the driver but held back. The bus sped along the slippery streets, weaving slightly in the lane. Heero gripped his jacket sleeve to settle his nerves as the bus skidded on a patch of ice but regained its balance to chug on.

He stared out the window at the passing stores and people while Quatre started to doze beside him. It would be another forty-five minutes to get back to the town and even more time to get to the school. Still, Heero didn't want to sleep. He sighed, tired as he was, he just couldn't drift off.

The bus slowed for its final stop in the city. All ready half full, Heero shifted and looked over at the empty seat across from him that he and Quatre had claimed for their purchases. It would be a hassle if they had to move them. Luckily, only one passenger got on.

The bus skidded past the cow field just outside of the city, sliding down the slippery highway. Snowflakes blew by the window at record speeds, they all ready covered too much of the glass for a clear visual. Heero knotted his hands in his lap as he stared into the cumulating snow. He would feel a lot better when they reached the high school.

Fortunately, they reached their home town without much trouble. The snow was well above the tires as the bus slowed and finally halted at the first stop in town. Once again, Heero shifted slightly as people went to stand and exit the bus in the unknown part of town.

Everybody on the bus was a little surprised as the driver didn't open the doors and opted to use his radio instead. Heero and Quatre were too far back to hear his conversation so they looked around nervously in wait.

"Heero, what's going on?" Quatre looked agitated as his gaze shifted from one person to another. The colour that had been on his face all day was drained away and he was back to his pasty white. 

"I don't know," Heero admitted. "But just wait, I'm sure we'll find out soon."

Heero got his wish. In a few minutes, the driver had shifted his bulk from the seat and was patiently trying to get people to move back to their seats. No one listened to that instruction but they did quiet down to hear him. Heero strained his ears.

"Sorry folks, the weather is just too bad for the bus to keep going! The head just told me to let all you people off here and lock up the bus until we can move it! You will all just have to find your own way home!"

Heero stared at the man in mute shock. They were abandoning the bus? What about the people who lived on the other side of the town, people like him? The bus company was going to make them walk the full four hours back? 

In his haste, Heero had neglected to bring along his cell phone. He had figured that even if he had needed it, he would have no one to call for help. From the look on Quatre's face, the blonde had also forgotten one. He almost groaned out loud.

Once the man had finished talking, the people on the bus started to shout angrily. Their voices echoed Heero's thoughts.

"Listen up!" the bus driver attempted to regain his audience. "There is a place nearby that offered its help to those who need a phone or a place to spend the night! It's only a few blocks from here so we're all going to have to walk!"

His last sentence was almost drowned out by the groans and grumbles as people began to complain to their companions or pick up their things. Heero and Quatre started to concentrate on just how they were going to carry their bags.

"We can call my house I guess," Quatre looked at a few of the bags. "Someone will be home."

"I can't believe you bought this stuff," Heero sighed as he began to sort the smaller bags into pockets or tying them on to his coat.

"Some these are _yours_," Quatre shot back. Heero almost grinned as he pulled a large handbag intended for one of Quatre's sisters and began to stuff boxes into it. It looked like the blonde hadn't quite lost his backbone.

It took some time for the bus to get ready and longer still to convince the youngest children that leaving the warm bus for the freezing blizzard was perfectly all right. 

Heero felt slightly foolish as the group of mainly adults, small children and the two teenagers trooped down the snow-covered street like a school trip who had gotten very, very lost. Many of the business women were wearing high heeled shoes that didn't agreed to the slippery street. Heero found himself the recipient of a cursing middle-aged mother more then once as they slipped and slide along the surface.

The wind blew snow in everyone's face, the light fluffy flakes, while perfectly beautiful inside a house, blinded and stung sensitive eyes. Tears were all ready tracking down Heero's face and he was a little afraid of having his eyelashes frozen together.

There was a change of direction as the group of people turned down a snow covered lawn on to what might have been a walkway. For all Heero could see, that mound of snow in front of them might have been a building. 

It was apparent that the mound _was_ indeed a building as Heero walked through the door without realizing it until he was inside. His snow covered companion stumbled after him as did a few more people before the door was closed against the storm.

Heero was so caught up in cursing the snow as he brushed it off of his coat and his hair that he failed to take note of his surroundings. The room was a flurry of movement as people started to try and reorganize themselves.

"Welcome to Maxwell House Church!" Heero stopped and looked up to see who was talking. An aged priest smiled at them. "Please, take off your shoes here, Sister Helen has hot chocolate and coffee started downstairs in the kitchen."

Quatre touched Heero's shoulder and smiled in relief. Heero merely grunted in return. The building on the inside was a bit small and run down. It looked like the main hall of a church complete with heavy wooden doors blocking the way into the main section. Washrooms were off to the side but the state of the place looked like they hadn't been used in a while. The bulletin boards on the walls said "Maxwell House Church' and nothing more. 

If it _was_ a church, it didn't look like a very popular one.

Heero and Quatre took off their soggy footwear. Snow had long since made it over the top and into the actual boots. The soles were soaked. He almost removed his socks too but left them on for sanity's sake.

"I'm afraid the only way to the kitchen is via the stairs in the second story," the priest smiled again. "Unless you'd prefer to use the outside entrance to get in?"

There was a hearty chuckle at the attempt to lighten the mood and the people took it. After the wet boots had been moved to the side, the priest began to lead them through the heavy wooden doors deeper into the church. 

"My name is Father Maxwell," he spoke as he talked. "This is a childcare facility and many of our younger occupants are sleeping upstairs so I would like to kindly ask you to keep your voices down."

He went to open a small door off to the side amid the whispers when it was opened from the other end.

"Father— oh, there you are! Sister Helen told me to tell you the food was almost done."

Heero almost had a heart attack. As it was, he didn't realize he had forgotten to breathe until Quatre thumped him on the back.

There, standing in the door, talking to the priest as if they were old friends, was his little blonde friend, Dorothy Catolonia. 

He felt Quatre grab him by the shoulder and mutter something about gawking at the girls. He was propelled into the room and up a set of stairs. He finally regained his sense of reality when they reached the landing at the top. He resolved to worm _every_ detail from Dorothy later. Now, it wouldn't do him much good. He was way too tired to ask straight questions let alone comprehend coherent answers. As it was, she was gone. 

He looked around for her casually as they crept through the large room. It had been straightened in haste. Blankets were half-folded on the couches and toys were pushed off to the centre.

A stab of guilt hit him slightly as he thought about all the childhood toys he had never bothered to even play with when he was younger. They also passed through a room lined with mix-matched beds. The blankets were all sorts of colours and designs, from a worn feather comforters to a hand-knitted rainbow blanket.

They went single-filed down yet another flight of curved wooden stairs. The kitchen matched the rest of the building; the pots and pans visible came from different companies in different sizes and shapes. Some were dented and dull while others looked brand new.

They were ushered through the kitchen into a dining room filled with a long table and benches. The people sat down wearily. The stove heated the concrete room and after a few minutes, Heero was comfortable enough to take off his jacket and gloves. 

"This place must run on donations," Quatre commented quietly as a young woman began to carry in steaming mugs. Heero noticed he received a plain blue cup and the old man sitting next to him had a Donald Duck shaped one. 

"Probably," Heero nodded and took a sip of his drink. He wrinkled his nose at the taste. It was hot chocolate but… oddly horrible. He was still freezing though and took the whole drink in one pull. He could practically feel heat pounding through him again. "Have you ever hear of Maxwell House Church?"

Quatre shook his head. "My parents never mentioned it. It's in the south end though. It's not a big surprise, up until two years ago, I didn't even know this part of the town existed."

Heero nodded in agreement. "You are going to call your sister, right?"

"Yea," Quatre sighed and looked into his cup. "But I don't want her to ask someone to come out and get us. The weather is horrible."

"Maybe they have spare beds here. I think I'm too tired to do much more then sit here, let alone walk home."

"You just don't want to carry our bags."

"_Your_ bags, Quatre."

"You bought that necklace for your cook too! They're _ours_!"

Heero had to snuff out a grin. He and Quatre had known each other for years yet they had never bantered like this. Old friends yes, comfortable ones, not until today. It was comforting in a way.

"Excuse me," Heero put down the still warm mug down and turned to look at the speaker. It was the woman who had just finished handing out the drinks. If she was a nun, like Father Maxwell had called her, she wasn't dressed for it. While she was wearing a long black skirt and high collared shirt, it was far from a traditional habit. Even her hair was uncovered; it wound tightly into a thick blonde braid. "My name is Sister Helen. As Father Maxwell probably all ready told you, welcome to Maxwell Church. I'm sorry we don't have more to offer you.

"Now, we only have one phone and we will let you use it one at a time. We have emergency beds and accommodations for those who can't leave the church tonight. Now, if you could all line up in an orderly fashion, I hope to make the phone calls a quick and painless experience."

She definitely didn't fit the kind, caring description of a nun that Heero had known about. Her sharp blue eyes were no nonsense and even the snootiest man in the room didn't bother to shove his way to the door and the phone. One by one, people got up and went into the kitchen and came back a few minutes later. 

"You can go, Quatre," Heero coughed to keep back a yawn. "There's no one at my house until Wednesday."

So the teen got up and came back a few minutes later smiling. 

"Tamara said it was all right for us to stay here," with the final worry out of the way, Quatre seemed to drain completely as he sat down. He forced on a small smile as he laid his head down on the table and closed his eyes. He barely managed to breathe out, "It'll be fun, just like a sleep over, huh?"

A good number of people were leaving the church that night. Only a mother, her three young children and an older man were staying besides Heero and Quatre. It was going to take another hour for the rest of the mass to leave so Heero let Quatre sleep in that uncomfortable position.

He considered getting up to find Dorothy and asking her a few things. The hot chocolate had giving him the temporary energy boost he needed and now it was kicking in. Still, he didn't want to leave Quatre alone.

He was sort of relieved when Dorothy walked in on her own. She was dressed more simply than when he had ever seen her. Jeans, sweater, hair pulled back… it looked strange but somewhat fitting. Still, he had a bit of unfinished business with her.

He waited for her to scan the room, and tried to catch her eye. It didn't work as she skimmed over his face. Sister Helen walked up to her, told her something and she came into the room to start collecting mugs. 

Heero struggled to stop fidgeting as she made her way down the table until she reached him. She dropped his mug with a surprise clatter.

"Heero?" she ignored the cup. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he shrugged casually. The look on her face and priceless and Heero's resolve broke. He smirked. "So, how's life?"

__

Wonder in the least places,

Hope in the usual faces,

The cold may shut out,

But friendship is always stout.

****

Extra GS: The last little bit wasn't edited, sorry! I thought you might want speed ^_^ It shouldn't be too bad though, the first part was picked over with a lice comb so no worries!


	8. Note on Chp7

GS Note: Oh, Fanfiction.net is deciding to screw up uploading. Blah on them, Unfortunately, I'm apparently also not allowed to upload web site addresses. See my author's note then, k? I know, a lot of work for the crappiest story but humour me ^_^  
  
-GS 


	9. New Thoughts chp 7 uploaded

**__**

GS Note: I finally got the 'net in my room so now I can argue with ff.n all I want! So, Here's the next chappy for all of those who missed it or were too lazy to search for it. 

Only 25 more days until it's done gentlefolk! I swear, it'll happen! It HAS to or I'll be so mad… Gr, feedback is cool with me too guy, no problems getting that ^_^ 

Chapter 7

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New Thoughts

And now, the continuation of Tales of Love, Chapter Six: Changing Faces

It had been a while since Dorothy had left Heero alone at the table when Sister Helen called her away. It had been right after his shocking question and, with his thoughts still unanswered, he had gotten bored fairly quickly.

Father Maxwell had taken the mother to help put her three children to bed. Quatre was still out cold half on the table. Sister Helen had told Heero they were still trying to find beds for the mother, the man, and Quatre and himself. Apparently the children at the daycare had been kept over night as the storm hit early on in the day. Heero hadn't known that, the city had been much farther south. 

Father Maxwell returned with the woman and one of her children. The boy wasn't more then six years old but even Heero could read the defiance on his face. It would take a lot for that child to sleep tonight. The woman all ready looked exhausted too. 

Heero had totally thawed out, his jacket and other outerwear was hanging up in the main hall to dry for the morning. Father Maxwell had lent them all dry socks and soft footwear for the cold floors and Sister Helen had draped a blanket over Quatre's shoulders.

Now, on his fifth mug of hot chocolate, Heero was ready for some shuteye. The day had all ready been eventful with the trip to the city all by himself but the bus had finally drained the rest of his energy. He briefly considered just nodding off beside Quatre but decided against it. He had no idea when Dorothy would come back. 

"Excuse me," Sister Helen had returned, Dorothy in tow. "If everyone would come with me, _quietly**, **_Dorothy and I have found you all some sort of sleeping arrangement."

Heero sighed in relief. Curiosity be damned, he could get his answers in the morning. He shook Quatre awake and smirked when the boy groaned in protest as he rubbed his sore neck. 

"I don't wanna sleep!" the little boy protested loud enough for even his mother to groan. "I wanna play some more! Mommy, can I play?"

"Craig," the women rubbed her eyes wearily. "You have to_ sleep_ now. Please? For mommy?"

"No! No, no, no, no, no!" each word was punctuated by an angry stomp. The little boy looked ready to fly into tantrum mode. "I wanna _play_!"

Heero came close to losing his temper but it was Dorothy who smoothly stepped in front of Sister Helen and knelt by him.

"All right, Craig," she said gently with a smile. "You can go play. Why don't I go wake up some of the other children, get out toys and you can play a bit, huh?"

The boy nodded, eager but a little surprised. Dorothy's grin grew wider.

"However, some of them might be grumpy. You see when little boys are bad here, well, you don't want to know. But, did you see that little door off to the side when you came in?" there was a little nod as the boy began to chew on his thumb. "Well, that's where the little children go when they're bad. I don't really know what goes on there but all the little children here are just desperate to not go in. And staying up late means that they've broken a rule. And breaking a rule as big as that mean a whole lot of time in that little room."

Heero was almost scared by the gentle look on her face. Craig's eyes were wide all ready. 

"And some how, I don't think they will appreciate it when they find out that they have to stay up and play with you. Especially since the only place you can play is in the little room."

"Aktually," Craig began to stumble over his words. "I tink I'm feelin' a bit tired. Maybe we c'n play tomarrow." He threw in a very fake looking yawn.

"Well, okay," Dorothy looked a bit disappointed. "Then let Sister Helen lead you up stairs. Your sister and brother are all ready fast asleep."

The boy nodded and grabbed his mother's hand. "Com'on mommy! We gosta go to bed, _now_!"

The mother flashed Dorothy a thankful smile and allowed herself to be dragged after the nun. Father Maxwell shook the older man awake and told Dorothy good night. Heero blinked in surprise. Dorothy just nodded with a smirk to his silent realization. It was Dorothy who was going to show Heero and Quatre to their beds. For some odd reason he had assumed it wouldn't be her. 

"Come on, Heero," she said. Quatre gave a bone cracking stretch as he stood up. "I'm going to show you two where to sleep tonight."

She led them up the stairs and through the room with the bed. Heero was started when one of the blankets moved and a head poked out.

"'Ty?" the voice was young and sounded very tired. "Where ya goin'?"

"I'm just helping these too off to bed," she stopped for a moment and spoke very quietly. "There's no need to worry James."

"If ya say so," the movement ceased on the bed and Dorothy led them farther. The room was dark and Heero almost slammed his toe on something in the aisle. It wasn't long before Dorothy halted them and opened a door they had never gone through before. The hall beyond that was small, cramped and dimly lit. Cream or beige walls, Heero couldn't tell, were obviously temporary. They were thin to touch and felt more like cardboard. Dorothy led them to another door and knocked.

"Are ya decent?"

There was a muffled reply and Dorothy took that as a yes. She turned the handle and swung open the door.

The room was small too. It had the same coloured walls with a white ceiling. It was also lit up by the Florissant lights Heero had made out in the dark in the other rooms he had been in. There was a single bed, a small desk and a chair. Besides the bed, desk and chair, white sheets covered other lumps that looked like boxes. The floor was made of bare tiles. 

It wasn't the room that surprised Heero though; it was the people in the room.

Solo and Duo.

Heero practically gasped in surprise but instead looked at the wall. He carefully refused to let any emotion show on his face. 

"We're going to stay in here," Dorothy was speaking. "Duo and Solo are…other volunteers. This is a kind of room where we take our breaks," Dorothy glared at Solo and Duo. "Right?"

They both nodded vigorously but Heero was too distracted trying not to look distracted he missed it. A few minutes later they were settled on the ground with two old piece of foam. Dorothy was on the bed while Duo and Solo shared one of the makeshift mattresses. 

Quatre looked at Heero for a moment as if daring him to comment on the poor conditions of their accommodations before climbing under the blankets Solo had run off to get. Heero cursed silently under his breath as he climbed in after Quatre. It was small; his side was pressed right against Quatre on one side and on Duo the other. The warmth made his ears flush but the room was thankfully dark. 

He could feel Duo's soft breathing in his ear after the rest had fallen asleep. Heero gulped as the boy moved slightly in his sleep. 

It would be a long time until Heero fell asleep. 

***

The next morning Heero and Quatre were sitting on the bench in the dining room again surrounded by about a dozen kids.

That morning had been non-eventful. Solo had woken them all up early and, after a brief embarrassing moment of the disorientation of waking up breath-to-breath with your crush, they were dressed in their old clothes and down in the dining all again. 

Heero ignored the kids. They didn't ignore him though. Many hung back because of his reclusive glare but the bolder ones weren't afraid. 

"Why'd your parents call ya Hero?" one boy quizzed. Heero poked his runny egg with the fork. The boy was all ready done, his plate licked clean. Heero didn't know how the little boy could stand the taste. "Didja do sumthing heroic as a baby?"

"It's Hee-_ro_," Heero corrected. He tried to intimidate the boy again but to no effect. 

"Yea, I know," the boy sighed. "Hero. Like Hercules or sumthing. Are ya gonna eat that?"

Heero looked at the plate and the egg before handing it over to the boy wordlessly.

Dorothy came and pushed the boy away from Heero and sat down. He gave her a thankful look before she started to talk to him in-between eating her own meal. 

"Sorry about Micah, he's a pretty out going guy, even for a Maxwell."

"A what?"

"A Maxwell," she replied then blushed slightly. "It's a nickname, really. All the kids that are taken care of here get it," she laughed. "It makes it more like family if they're all Maxwells. I'm the only person here who is called an honourary Maxwell."

It was Sunday and for some reason Heero expected a mass in the Church. He was greatly surprised when nothing out of the ordinary happened after breakfast. Quatre called his sister and told her to come by when she had a chance, the storm was over and the roads were plowed. 

Since it was Sunday and there was no school the next day (Christmas vacation was just starting), Heero was curious to see when the children's parents would come over to pick up their kids. 

He was helping Dorothy carry the empty pots of food back into the kitchen when he heard Father Maxwell announce the day's plans to all the kids. 

"Aren't they going home?" he asked. 

Dorothy shoved the heavy pot onto the counter beside the sink with a heave. "No, we are just going to carry on like a regular day," she showed him where to put his pot. "It's a weekend program too."

Heero thought that was strange but ignored it. He didn't have long to dwell on it. The children all worked on morning chores, cleaning dirty dishes, sweeping floors and wiping tables. He and Quatre weren't asked to help out but he felt vaguely guilty as a girl, only about seven, pushed a broom twice her size along the floor.

He generally avoided Duo until Quatre's sister picked them up and took him home.

It was a relief to be home, empty or not. He took a hot shower and changed his clothes, swearing viciously never to leave the house on a whim again. 

He fixed himself a lunch and went to get the mail. It was pointless; he didn't even have to leave the house. The carrier walked up tot he house and put it through a slot that dropped it into a basket right outside the side door that the maids used. There was never anything for him and it wouldn't matter if he left it for his parents but he felt like reading the newspaper. 

He left the letters and bills (after checking hopefully for his name) in the basket and heading for one of the smaller living rooms. 

He settled in one of the chairs and flicked the television on low, for background noise, and opened the paper. A banner fell onto his lap. He went to push it onto the floor when the name caught his attention.

_Maxwell House Church._

He frowned and unfolded it.

_Not all decisions are black and white. Let this be one of them. Help an orphaned child today. Donate to Maxwell House Church and make a difference. _

The banner fell from his fingers as he brain went from mellow to chaos. 

Maxwell House Church was an orphanage not a daycare centre.

Dorothy had lied to him.

Duo Maxwell had been at Maxwell House Church. 

Dorothy said all the kids being taken care of by Maxwell house Church were Maxwells.

His brain flew all the piece of the puzzle together. Duo Maxwell was an orphan at Maxwell House Church.

__

Thinking new things

Can be pretty painful.

A whole new world to live

A whole new life to give.

And yet…

What can become of new things?

And thinking of them?

Growth, change, joy

Ideals born of a child

Pain, suffering, heart ache

Ideals of an adult.

But joyful heart ache

Can become ideals of a new.


	10. Revelations

**__**

GS Note: Not bad timing, huh guys? 24 more days! Set you watched, we are going to motor with new chapters from now on! I want to thank everyone for the 52 reviews right now. They mean a lot to know that people are still reading this arc even after it's been over a years. I have no clue how many more chapters but now I have no excuse to not finish. Not even laziness. Writer's block has finally left (knock on wood) and the plot FINALLY hit me ^_^ So hang on to your hats, ladies and gents!

Chapter 8

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Revelations

Lies, cheat, deceit

Does it differ from one to another?

Can one lie and be right

And another do the same and be wrong?

Since school was officially out for the winter break, Heero didn't do much. The most strenuous thing he thought about over the two weeks was whether or not to have a peanut butter sandwich for dinner or reheat an unidentified dish at the back of the fridge. 

Marie had tried to make him meals for the whole time she was going to be gone but her idea of what a teenaged boy ate was different then Heero's stomach.

Without proper food for the first time, Heero found himself scrounging in the large underground pantries Marie and other cooks dove into when they had a huge unannounced group of people to make dinner for.

In the last three days Heero made three dishes that he never planned on repeating. One was the dreaded Hamburger A La Flambé. Late one night had had been sure that placing a piece of meat in a heated area couldn't be much different then setting it on fire. Heat was fire and heat cooked, no matter what form right?

He hadn't counted on the tablecloth, plastic plate and his tee shirt. He hadn't been planning on cooking _those._

The fork-in-the-dish incident at school made him very mistrustful of the lone microwave hidden in the smallest kitchen. When he attempted to make a grilled cheese sandwich in there, it only supported his suspicions. The burnt cheese had been cemented to the walls and door. Heero had placed a towel over the microwave to keep the toxic fumes of melting plastic plate away from the air. 

The one dish that turned him off of cooking once and for all was something he first called Stroke of Genius and later Pile of Blackish Stuff. One _very_ late night of an old monster movie marathon, a 2-in-the-morning snack turned into a disaster when Heero left his concoction of re-heated chicken breast, peanut butter, a small slab of chocolate, a boiled egg, half a can of Coke and a sliced carrot (for nutrition) boiling on the stove. When he had returned an hour later he was surprised to find it had boiling into a very thick black liquid-type thing.

Once cooled, it clung to the pot and stir stick like glue and no matter how hard Heero scrubbed and boiled water in the pot, it refused to unstick. He had thought it had been a good idea. If he liked all the food separately would his stomach know the difference? 

Nevertheless, Heero managed to survive his three near hits with cooking without so much as a scratch. The kitchen, microwave and pot were another matter. 

Marie came back from Italy with gift and an actual dinner the day before school started. Heero listened quietly to her stories and nodded at her pictures while he shoveled the mashed potatoes in his mouth.

"This is little Pedro," she pointed at a boy, maybe in his early teens. "He's your age. I showed you a picture of him before but he was only three then! Look at how he's grown!"

Heero nodded in agreement but took a huge bite out of the bread roll. 

"And mother is doing so much better with the money I sent home. She and I went for a walk around Cecina while I was there. That the town where I grew up in, right on the ocean."

Heero chugged down the glass of juice beside his plate. He paused to swallow the half-chewed food before launching into his seconds. He was well into his thirds before Marie finally realised just how quiet he was being. 

She hid a smile as he drained his glass of juice again with a satisfied sigh. He looked up at her after a few minutes. 

"You were talking about you sister's new son…" he prompted quietly as he reached for the bowl of potatoes. Marie passed it to him and continued, still laughing slightly as he stuffed himself. 

He stayed up later then usual. Heero wouldn't admit it but the long weeks of isolation had gotten to him. He followed Marie around the kitchen as she cleaned then went to her rooms with her to help her unpack. It was passed midnight before Marie finally tried to force him to bed.

"You have school tomorrow young man," she scolded and put her hands on her hips. Heero shrugged from his spot on her bed and played idly with her bedspread.

"I'm not that tired," he argued. "Tell me more about Cecina, my parents have only taken me to Rome with them."

She threw up her hand in defeat and settled on the bed next to him.

"How about you tell me what you did over your vacation. I'm getting tired of talking."

Heero looked up at the unexpected request. "My vacation?"

"Sure," Marie nodded. "You must have done something to tell me about."

"Since you're in a good mood, there was a little incident with the microwave…"

Marie was a little surprise he took her up on the suggestion. She smiled and listened as he told her of his cooking disasters. His words registered in her head but she looked thoughtfully at him as he rambled on. He might be lonely; she knew what it was like to finally have someone to talk too. 

Still he looked a little to distracted to be just suffering from solitude. He started to trail off when a yawn started to interrupt his speech every few seconds. Marie finally threatened to drag him to his room and tuck him into bed before he agreed to leave. They said good night and he shut the door to her room before silently padding off to his own wing.

Marie took off her shoes with a sigh. Whatever was bothering him would have to wait for the morning when she could see straight again. 

Heero slept in too late for much of a breakfast. After being woken up too early a few days in a row he had finally turned off his alarm clock and had forgotten to turn it back on again. A hasty knock of Marie had gotten him up a mere five minutes before the first bell was to go off. 

He shoved on clothes he had sworn to never wear again. In his weeks alone his favourite outfits had been worn and worn again until they smelt too bad for even Heero to allow in his room. 

The second bell to first period went off as he jumped out of the car and slammed the door. He tugged at the starched collar of his shirt as he struggled to lug his bag behind him. Running from the front door of the school to his geography class was the most activity he had attempted since what he dubbed as Maxwell Day.

His teacher didn't even look up as he arrived in class out of breath and two minutes late. Most of the kids were still chatting with friends about the break so Heero slid into his seat and tried to slow his breathing as the class waited to start.

In the first five minutes Heero realised that, in his haste to get to school on time, his winter homework was sitting on his desk in his room. He mentally cursed himself as the teacher told them to take it out.

Heero opened his textbook to the questions assigned and was grateful to hear that the teacher was only going to take _up_ the questions and not check them. He managed to remember the ideas of what he had written. He answered a few questions off the top of his head so that the teacher thought he had actually had it. 

The long break almost was enough for him to forget the complicated route to math class but, after a wrong turn, he found the way. Miss Noin was as late as ever so Heero walked in a few minutes after the bell and took his seat.

Dorothy was all ready in the class but he carefully avoided her eyes. She must have sensed something about the way he was acting and she didn't try to approach him. He was kind of relieved. He was still trying to sort out what had happened.

Did she not trust him or something? It was a huge shock, of course, to find out that his massive crush was indeed an orphan and lived at a church but still…

It definitely wasn't the strangest thing Heero had ever heard. His own childhood wasn't what people would call ordinary. He hadn't been raised by his parents. He had been raised by an endless stream of nameless nannies and tutors until Marie had been hired. Even then, she hadn't been his caretaker until he was twelve and his parents got tired of interviewing new people. They knew that Marie was looking after him anyway and, besides the fact she was only a couple of years older then him, she never neglected her cooking duties. 

So why hadn't Dorothy thought about that? In a way, Heero was an orphan. So why would he care?

The answer hit him as the door opened and Miss Noin breezed in. He had never told her he was _the_ Heero Yuy. He never told her that he was massively crushing on Duo Maxwell. And he _certainly_ confided his thoughts to her. 

Math class proved to be even less of a challenge then geography was with taking up work. Miss Noin's homework was more of a suggestion then an assignment. She launched right into the new unit without even mentioning taking up answers. It wasn't until the end of the class that she said anyone with questions could ask an older student to help them or go in for math help. 

Heero didn't even consider going as he packed up his books and jogged to catch up with Dorothy as she left the class. He had a fair bit of explaining to do, and she did too.

"Hey Heero," she greeted him with a smirk. "Finally decided to say hello to me?"

Heero didn't bother answering as he shoved the flyer he had found in his newspaper into her hand. They were stopped in the crowded hall, so when Dorothy glanced down and paled, they didn't have time to talk. Instead she shoved the paper in the pocket of her jean skirt and gripped his elbow harshly. 

He allowed himself to be dragged though the almost blocked halls outside to the winter cold. With snow everywhere, no one was brave (or insane) enough to take the short cut back to school. He and Dorothy were the only ones to not brave the lethal dodge ball game the grade tens were playing.

Heero knew that Dorothy must be colder then him, in her white blouse and skirt but she didn't show it. Instead, she held the crumpled flyer in front of his nose.

"Where did you get this?" she asked venomously. Heero almost shrank back as she glared at him. He struggled to remember why he was angry with her and held his ground.

"Why did you lie to me?"

"Where did you get this?" she repeated, lower and deadlier. Heero swallowed hard but refused to be intimidated.

"You first."

"Heero Yuy," she started through clenched teeth. "You're going to tell me where the hell you got this before I shove it in your ear and drag it out through your nose."

"I got it in my newspaper," the words were out before Heero could stop them. He tried to win back ground by glaring. "Why did you lie to me?"

There was a tense silence between them. A very cold wind suddenly swept around the building and threw snow on their clothes and faces. The chill finally registering on her, Dorothy shoved the paper back into her pocket and wrapped her arms around her. 

"W-why don't we f-finish this in the l-library?" she tried to smile but failed miserably. Heero shoved his almost blue hands in his pocket and nodded. They hurried back into the math hallway brushing snow off their clothes and out of their hair. 

"By the way," Dorothy smirked as she whispered so they wouldn't get in trouble. "Nice outfit, preppy."

Heero snarled but followed her into the gym. The grade nines in there right now were still trying to select basketballs from the rack so he and Dorothy hurried along the wall and back into the school before the teacher could yell at them.

They didn't bother going to the café but went straight for the library. This early into the lunch period it was fairly empty so they managed to get a table near the windows and away from the rest of the people. Heero pulled out his text books so it looked like they were working as Dorothy clasped her hands in front of her and closed her eyes.

"So, you know that Maxwell House church is an orphanage," she said it as a statement. Heero tried to not roll his eyes but nodded solemnly. She didn't noticed his contained sarcasm. "And I suppose you figured out that Duo and Solo Maxwell are some of their kids."

"I didn't know about Solo," Heero shrugged but Dorothy glared at him.

"I've been volunteering there for most of my life, Duo and Solo are like my brothers. It _is _a day care centre but that's only because it's low on funds right now and we are trying to raise money. We have about a dozen kids living there and another ten for the day care."

"Why did you tell me that in the first place?"

"You never told me you were the Heero Yuy," Dorothy watched from half closed eyes as Heero's face paled before flushing bright red. She smirked. "Duo noticed it when you stayed over. That and the fact your friend was Quatre Winner. That's not the most common name around."

Heero suddenly felt a little foolish. She had know his secret and had just gone along with it. He struggled to regain some dignity. "So?" he shrugged, his ears still a bit red. "I just didn't want to be singled out. Would you really have been so relaxed around me if you had known on the first day you met me?"

"I met you when you were flat on your ass in the hall after you tried to follow me to class on the third day," Dorothy's eyes sparkled as she tried to contain her laughter. "Not a lot to be afraid of there."

Heero snorted and glared. "What made you think I would have cared about Maxwell Church?"

"We've had…" Dorothy trailed off and lost her smile as she thought of how to continue. "I guess you can call them problems. Yea, problems with telling people the truth."

Heero's curiosity heightened and he tried to not sound too enthusiastic. "Problems?"

"Problems," Dorothy growled and Heero shrugged. He gave an inward sigh; she wasn't going to tell him.

"Well, now I know," he said instead of the questions burning on his tongue. "You didn't have to lie."

"Would you still have massively crushed on Duo Maxwell if you had known?"

If Heero had been surprised first, he almost died of shock on the spot. It felt like the world suddenly tipped off the orbit and fell through space. He knew he was gasping like a fish and he struggled to get his heart beating again. He choked a bit as his brain scrambled for an answer.

Dorothy tilted her head and smirked as he turned deathly pale and didn't turn red this time. "I guess I was right after all."

She smirked again and picked up her books, leaving Heero to catch up with the rest of the world by himself.

Heero didn't see Dorothy the rest of the day and when he was picked up that afternoon his brain still didn't feel connected to his body. Was he that obvious? Did Duo know? Did the rest of the world know that he was, well, _that way_?

But, and obviously most of all, if Duo knew, what was _he_ going to do? Would he just ignore Heero or would he, maybe, consider it?

The second he walked in the door, Marie knew something was wrong. He had been distracted the night before; now it looked like it had doubled from a day at school. She waited for him to put his bag away and came in for food before trying to talk to him.

He was sitting in the kitchen with her as she started to get dinner ready for his parents' return that night. A sandwich was sitting in front of him with two bites taken out of it and had been that way for half an hour.

When Marie had the stove set and the timer on, she took the seat next to Heero. He didn't even notice her until she spoke.

"Did anything happen at school today?"

Heero visibly blinked as he tried to unhinge his jaw to answer. "Uh…"

Marie tried to not roll her eyes. "Anything unusual?"

"I forgot my homework this morning," Heero mumbled and picked up the sandwich again. He brought it to his mouth but put it down again. "Now that I think if it, I have some more to do tonight. I'll jut be heading up to my-"

Marie's hand flashed out and grabbed his elbow. She bent it painfully and forced him to sit again.

"I'm sure it can wait. I haven't see you in ages! I told you about my vacation, the least you can do is fill me in on your day!"

For some odd reason, words began to pour out of Heero's mouth. "Have I ever told you about my friend, Dorothy?"

"No," Marie shook her head as a knowing grin spread on her face. So that's who the mysterious D was! When she had come back she found several idle doodles written on the margins of newspapers, books, walls, the table… Most of them contained a letter D.

"Well, today she found out that I had a crush on someone," he continued, oblivious to Marie's brainwave.

"Did she?" Marie smirked. She had to meet this Dorothy now! Who knew if she was good enough for her Heero?

"See, it's her best friend Duo Maxwell, I've seen him around school and I was over at the place where he lives so I guess she picked up on it or something or other."

Marie's brain froze to a halt. Duo?

"But she didn't even tell him if he liked me, or if he noticed I liked him or not! I mean, she can't just leave a guy hanging like that, I need to know if he's interested or not so I can go back to just crushing or actually, I don't know, have a conversation with him! It's just so frustrating!"

With that off his chest, Heero let out a big sigh. He smiled and stood up. "Thanks Marie. I needed that. I'm going to be in my room if you need me."

Marie hadn't moved as he left with a bounce in his step. He was still oblivious to her reaction. 

Marie's brain chugged to a start again. Heero was gay? This D was Duo? For some odd reason, her first thought after that really surprised her. If Heero was actually gay, why was he wearing such a horribly clashing outfit?

__

Knowledge is step one

Realization is number two

Three is acceptance

But love and embracing 

Is the last step

To overcoming news.


	11. Reassurance

****

Chapter 9

__

Reassurance

Different leads to Anger

Anger leads to Hurt

Hurt leads to Pain

Pain is Different

And Different is Anger

Break the cycle

Different lead to Hope too

Needless to say, the next day at school was one of Heero's most nerve-wracking. He got there on time that day with all his books and a proper outfit on. Every time someone looked at him funny he glared at them, paranoid that they knew something.

Marie had left earlier that morning on an errand so all he had gotten from her was a note beside his breakfast telling him that she'd be back when he got home. It wasn't unusual since Marie often went into the city to pick up things he or she needed.

Still, it didn't happen often enough for Heero it to not set off Heero's schedule. His nerves all ready off because of Dorothy's proclamation the day before, the lack of morning greeting was just enough to make him more dangerous then usual.

Heero Yuy never sulked. Most teenaged boys would glare and whine until someone asked what was wrong. Then the average male would either tell that person or brush it off and forget about whatever had happened half an hour later.

When Heero Yuy took his seat in geography it was obvious something was wrong with him. He didn't have a glare that said please-ask-me-what's-wrong. His glare was more like if-you-_dare_-approach-me-I'll-take-your-well-meaning-comment-and-shove-it-back-through-your-ear-to-your-brain. Even the teacher didn't try to call on him for answers.

His skin was prickling as he walked into math class. His stomach was fluttering and just before entering the class, he paused and considered skipping. He shook it off though and walked right to his desk.

Dorothy squirmed in her seat behind him. Noin was actually on time that day so she would have to wait for lunch to talk to him.

The lesson flew in Heero's ear and out the other. He copied notes out of habit but eventually he had to admit he couldn't remember a single word said. He clucked disappointed at himself. With his parents coming home after a plane delay, he needed to keep his studies up more then ever if he wanted to stay on school.

Right now, though, leaving seemed to be a pretty bright thought. He didn't know if he could face Dorothy at lunch. He felt like slumping down in his seat so Dorothy couldn't core holes into the back of his head. Instead he stayed straight in his chair. He clenched his jaw. He wasn't going to let _her_ know that she was making him uncomfortable.

Dorothy's mind had wandered completely from the complex studies of linear systems and solving equations. She narrowed her sky blue eyes on the patch of skin right above Heero's collar and just below his hair. Her pencil tapped impatiently as she waited for him to react.

He shifted slightly but didn't even try to stop her. She glowered. She had suspected that Heero had a crush on Duo for sometime now. She hadn't expected for herself to reveal that information yesterday but after a good night's sleep, she decided that she was going to have fun making Heero squirm. Unfortunately, he wasn't co-operating.

She ripped a small corner of her textbook and crumpled it into a small ball. Waiting for Noin's back to be turned, she flicked it at Heero's neck and smirked as it bounced into his shirt. His neck twitched at the impact and he half-turned to glare at the girl.

Dorothy busied herself with doodling in her textbook but returned his glare with a hint of a smile. Heero snorted and turn back to the front of the class. Dorothy wasted no time in flicking another piece at his neck.

This time, Heero tried to ignore it and struggled to concentrate on what Noin was saying. Dorothy flicked three more balls at his neck and down his shirt. Heero's grip increased on his pencil so much that it finally started to crack under the pressure. Flick, another ball. 

Noin paused as a loud crack filled the quiet of the room. She glanced back at the class and saw Heero Yuy in the second row blushing and holding a broken pencil. Unconcerned, Noin continued on with the lesson.

Once the teacher looked away, Heero turned almost full around and gave his friend an intense glare. Dorothy blinked a little but didn't react beyond smirking.

"Stop it," he hissed under his breath, then turned back around. Dorothy's rapidly disappearing textbook lost another strip and she ripped it off and eagerly launched it at Heero head. 

She forced herself to not giggle as it stuck in his head. Heero cursed under his breath and brushed it off. Noin was all ready assigning homework, if Dorothy wanted to really annoy Heero, she would have to do it now.

Taking her pen cap in one hand and a rubber elastic that was holding her pencil case together in the other, she quickly made a slingshot. With careful aim, she fired both objects at Heero's head. The elastic snapped sharply at his neck, making him jump, and the pen lid smashed into the back of his ear. 

Forgetting where he was for a minute, Heero whirled around. His hand gripped the back of his chair with an iron fist. "_Dorothy, I swear you little-"_

The rest of what he was going to say was lost in the bell. He slammed his books in his bag and plowed his way out of the room. Dorothy didn't bother to catch up with him. 

He slowed his blistering pace once he was passed the gym. He didn't head to the café today either. He didn't even go the library. He marched to his locker and practically threw his books in. Dorothy was following him from a distance and was surprised to see him slip on his jacket. 

She didn't have time to go and get her won so she was shivering when he stepped out of the school. She hiked her bag higher as he crossed the parking lot and started to head down the dirt road. She suddenly realised that stealth wasn't an option anymore. Her blonde hair stood out on the white ground. She didn't want to get her feet wet so she just trudged along well behind him as he reached what seemed like an inconspicuous metal gate. It was surrounded by thick trees and Dorothy had always assumed someone had a house down there.

He didn't bother on unlocking the gate but moved off to the left side and ducked behind a low-hanging evergreen branch.

She counted to ten under her breeze and tried to ignore the nipping wind. Her teeth began to chatter on eight but she waited until she was done the hurried after him.

She ducked under the branch and almost ran into the wire gate.

It looked like just a metal gate from the road but this angle showed Dorothy that the property was actually surrounded by a crossed wire gate. She strained her neck, the top was lined with two strands of barbed wire.

Heero was no where in sight. Dorothy cautiously reached out to touch the fence and breathed a sigh in relief when she wasn't shocked. Sometimes rich people were very paranoid.

She leaned against the fence and peered through. She still couldn't see him.

"If I were you, I'd step back in about fifteen seconds," a low voice made Dorothy whirl around and grip her chest. Heero stood about five feet back from the fence, his arms crossed and a deep scowl on his face.

"I- uh," Dorothy tried to speak but nothing would come out.

"I meant it," Heero said casually. "The camera makes it's sweep of the area then and if it sees you the alarm goes off."

Dorothy leapt back from the fence and tripped over a branch. She landed in the knee-high snow next to Heero's feet.

Cold, wet and now shivering, Dorothy looked up. He smirked at her and she scowled back. With a sigh of defeat, he offered his gloved hand and she took it gratefully.

Once on her feet, she brushed as much snow as she could off of her but it was too wet and heavy to come off completely.

"Come on," he turned back to where the snow tampered off along the fence. He ducked back under the branch and, after a moment of hesitation, Dorothy followed. 

Back in front of the gate, he turned to the other side of it and pushed back the branch there. A door was imbedded into the fence and he unlocked it with a key.

"Don't worry," he opened it and stepped through. "No one will stop you if you are with me."

Dorothy stepped after him and he shut the door behind her. The driveway and lined with tall, imposing pine trees but it was cleared. Dorothy wrapped her arms around herself as the cold settled in on her wet, white shirt. She blushed slightly when Heero glanced over and he sighed. He shrugged off his winter jacket and offered it to her.

She slipped it on gratefully and sighed as the warmth of Heero's body surrounded her. "Thanks."

Heero didn't reply. They reached the end of the driveway soon. Heero led her off the cleared road and onto a path that looked like it had been shoveled by hand. It led off to the side of the house and up a steep set of creaking stairs. Heero pulled another key out of his pants pocket and unlocked that one too.

Dorothy stepped in before him and sighed with relief she felt the heat of the kitchen. There was a woman all ready in there and she started when she heard the door open.

"Heero Yuy! Don't you give me a heart attack!" the woman glared sharply but Heero just snorted. "And who is this?"

When it didn't look like Heero was going to answer, Dorothy held her out her hand. "My name is Dorothy Catolonia, a pleasure."

"So you're Dorothy," she raised her eyebrow. "Marie. Any particular reason you brought her here Heero?"

"She followed me," Heero replied. He took off his head and gloves then dropped them beside the door. He kicked off his shoes too. 

"And why is she all wet?"

Heero shrugged and knelt to untie his shoes. 

Marie sighed and turned to Dorothy with a weary smile. "Why don't you take off your shoes and we'll see if we can find you some dry clothes?" 

Dorothy gratefully slipped her dress shoes off and followed Marie out of the kitchen with Heero trailing behind. They stopped outside of Marie's room and the Italian started to looked through her drawers. She pulled out a pair of jeans and a sweater and passed them to Dorothy.

"There you go, we'll leave while you change," Marie smiled. "Then I'll dry your clothes and we can have something to eat."

Marie grabbed Heero's ear and started to yank him out of the room. She made sure that they were out of earshot of the room before letting him go.

Heero cursed under his breath and rubbed at his sore ear while glaring at the cook. 

"Why the hell did you bring a girl here," her brown eyes were blazing as her voice quaked with anger under her breath. "Your parents are due home in two hours!"

"I plan on being back at school," Heero growled. "And I didn't _ask_ her to come along!"

"Either way you two have to be gone by the time your parents get here. You know how they feel about you being in public school and this won't help your case."

"I know," Heero said. "Now, I'm going to get what I came for, some food."

He stormed away from Marie in only the way Heero could storm. Marie sighed in exasperation. Teenagers. 

The door opened and Dorothy poked her head out. Marie forced a smile on her face and went to greet her.

Heero was rummaging around the small kitchen in search of some food. Nothing looked like he could eat it without heating it up. With the microwave out of commission and Heero too unsure to use the oven, he grumbled and sat at the table empty handed.

Dorothy walked cautiously back into the kitchen and sat across from him.

"Uh, Marie said she'd be a few minutes," Dorothy tried to keep looking at Heero but her eyes kept on sliding around the room. Heero felt like slumping back in the chair but stopped himself. Instead, he occupied himself on getting annoyed at her.

"What are you looking at?' he snapped more harshly then he had meant to.

Dorothy didn't flinch but she did tear her eyes away from the walls and looked at him again.

"I thought I lived well off," she said. "Now I know."

Heero just snorted and stared at a point by her ear. Dorothy sighed and dropped her hands into her lap.

"Look," she started then stopped. "Heero, uh…"

Heero looked back at her and she moved her gaze to the floor. "Look, I'm sorry about this morning," she finally said. "I was trying to get you angry. You just wouldn't even look at me and I thought you would want to talk about…yesterday."

Heero didn't answer but his scowl deepened. She sighed frustrated.

"I mean it!" she tried again. "But I just don't want to see Duo's feelings hurt by some guy. He's my best friend and, well, he's been through a lot in the past few years. I just wanted to make sure I was right."

Heero's glare softened slightly into a look of surprise. "Do you mean-" he started but stopped as he felt his ears turn red. He swallowed. "Do you mean that I- that I, um…"

Dorothy couldn't help but smirk at little as his ears turned even redder and the back of his neck followed. "Yea, Heero I'm saying you have a chance with him."

Heero's eyes widened considerably with surprise but then he narrowed them. "Have you told him?"

Dorothy chuckled at the tone. "No, I haven't. If you want him you're going to have to do it yourself."

"But it is possible?"

"Yea," Dorothy smirked at the uncertainly all over Heero's face. It would have been unnoticeable to most people but she could tell in the slight way his words sounded, the red of his ears and the look in his brilliant blue eyes. "But you didn't hear it from me. I spit promised him a couple months ago I wouldn't tell."

"Spit promised?" Heero curled his lip slightly. "Isn't that a bit childish?"

"It works," she grinned then frowned. "Or maybe it doesn't because I just I told you."

"I would have written a contract."

Before Dorothy could laugh or reply, Marie reentered the kitchen with a bright smile.

"Okay you two, we have twenty minutes to feed you and send you off to school again so you aren't late."

Out of nowhere two plates with a fresh made sandwich and two tall glasses of orange juice appeared in front of them.

Marie hustled the food into them and practically shoved them out the door. As they stumbled along the path to the driveway, Dorothy hiked her bag pack higher on her shoulders. Her clothes had been dried rather quickly but Marie had given her Heero's old jacket and hat to wear back to the school.

"Is she always that pushy?" Dorothy lifted her skirt a little so she could step over the drift and onto the driveway.

"No," Heero jumped and wobbled slightly as he landed on a patch of ice. "My parents are due home soon and she doesn't want them to catch me at home."

"Why not?" Dorothy looked surprised at that. "I would think they would be glad to see you."

"They've been threatening to take me out of school," he replied. "Remember, I told you about it. That's why I'm so nervous about, you-know-what. If they heard about my, um, preferences, they would probably have me even do college at home."

"I doubt I'm going to have a casual chat with them anytime soon," Dorothy assured him as she tugged the hat more over her ears. They were approaching the gate and Heero pulled out his key. They got back on the road to school.

"You know," Dorothy broke the silence. "If you wanted a chance to talk to Duo…oh I guess you wouldn't be interested."

"What?' Heero burst out before he could stop. His ears tinged pink again but thankfully his hat covered them. Dorothy laughed.

"We're having a fundraiser in two weeks on Saturday," she tried to hide her grin but failed. "It's just selling some roses one of the women who volunteers at the mall. Duo _always_ helps out and we could use some extra hands."

"I guess I could free my schedule," Heero tried to sound casual but it perished miserably. 

"It's a date then," she grinned. "If you can take the bus to Maxwell House Church on Friday and stay over. We get the flowers ready that night to sell. That is, if your folks will let you."

"I wouldn't worry," Heero couldn't contain the small smile creeping over his face. "They usually only stay for a couple days. I think they're taking a vacation to New Zealand next."

"A vacation?" Dorothy looked at him as they entered the parking lot. She looked almost stricken. "What are they doing right now? I thought they were in Greece!"

"That was a business trip," Heero explained quickly as he opened the door of the school for her. "They are stopping quick to make sure their investors here don't get nervous and then they're leaving for another month."

"That's insane," Dorothy shook her head. "If they weren't so intimidating I _would_ have a casual chat with them."

"I have to stop by my locker," Heero turned down a hall and Dorothy followed before he replied. "I'm used to it. And I have Marie. She's better then any parent I know."

_

    A dream is a wish your heart makes
    When you're fast asleep
    In dreams you lose your heartaches
    Whatever you wish for, you keep
    Have faith in your dreams and someday
    Your rainbow will come smiling through
    No matter how your heart is grieving
    If you keep on believing
    the dream that you wish will come true
_

-Ilene Woods, _Cinderella_


	12. Losing It

**__**

GS Note: Short chappy today guys. I'm going to let the next one off in a few hours though so be fair warned! ^_^

Chapter 10

__

Losing It

The first thing Heero did after the chauffeur dropped him off in front of the house was go up stairs and change into something his parents deemed appropriate. 

The house wasn't swamped with reporters and people which surprised Heero greatly. He just couldn't believe that his parents would put off their return for even longer. A lot of the North American investors were beginning to feel nervous that their company wasn't paying attention to them. That was the number one lesson that had been drilled into Heero's head from a young age; the art of diplomacy.

The outfit he pulled on looked vaguely like the one he had worn a few days ago to school and regretted. He grumbled where no one could hear him and put an indifferent face on when he stepped out of his wing.

Just because the general public was not crowding the house did not mean that the halls were empty. The regular staff was back and bustling. He knew full well that Marie was unavailable so he wandered around looking for his parents. 

He tapped a young maid on the elbow and she turned to glare at him before she saw his face.

"What do ya- oh, Mr. Yuy!" she exclaimed. She started to nervously twist the dust rag in her hands and Heero could see beads of sweat breaking out on her forehead. He sighed in annoyance. "W-was there something you wanted?"

"Are my parents back yet?" he asked with a touch if irritation in his voice. He had forgotten exactly why he liked the fact only he and Marie lived in the house.

"Y-yes Mr. Yuy, they're in the small lounge with Mr. Winner. I-I think they're waiting for you."

Heero didn't even acknowledge her as he breezed passed and started off to where he thought the small lounge was. Or at least it was the smallest one he had ever been to in this house.

Heero's jaw clamped shut as he raised a hand to knock and the lounge door opened. There, standing in the door and filling Heero's vision was Mr. Winner, Quatre's father.

Mr. Winner was a man that struck fear in even Heero's heart. Not that he would ever tell the man. It wasn't that the man was very tall or big or even very physically striking. In fact, if Heero hadn't first been introduced to the man from a young age he probably wouldn't be able to pick him out of a crowd.

It was the way he carried himself. His chin was high, his eyes never missed anything and he seemed to _own_ whatever he looked at. And now, he was looking at Heero.

Heero was proud that he didn't immediately jump or scream when the man suddenly seemed to materialize in front of him. Instead he clamped his teeth together so fast he slammed them on his tongue. He covered the painful gasp with a cough.

"Ah, Heero," Mr. Winner's presence moved from the front of the door to the right. "I believe your parents were waiting for you."

Heero jerked his head slightly. The underlying fear of being around the man was replaced with the pain shooting through his mouth. Was it possible to bite through your own tongue? That thought stayed with him as Mr. Winner said good bye to Heero's parents and left. 

His mother was seated comfortable in a chair and his father was standing behind her. Heero tried to take his mind off of fidgeting and instead concentrated on the pain in his mouth. Was that blood?

"Heero, your father and I have been discussing something," his mother started out. Heero quietly folding his hands behind his back and began to tug at the hem of his shirt in frustration. Why did they want to talk to him now?

"You are turning fifteen soon," she continued. Heero nodded in agreement but he mentally rolled his eyes. Was it really an accomplishment for parents to remember their only child's birthday? And fifteen was a fairly important day. Next year at this time he could start getting his driver's license. Once that happened it was good bye chauffeur. He could go anywhere he wanted. He could go into the city or into town or even…to Maxwell Church.

Heero blinked as he realised his mother was still talking.

"…so we think that it would be a good idea for you to come with us to New Zealand this week."

"What?" Heero squeaked out without meaning too. His parents looked at him surprised and he gave an embarrassed cough before continuing. "Why do you want that? I thought it was your vacation."

"It is, Heero," his father spoke up. "But this is what we are talking about. You are getting more and more inattentive since you started in the school system. We think it's time you took a break. Don't worry, we plan on taking Ms. Valetta with us for your tutoring."

"But-" Heero's brain felt like it had melted and was pouring out of his ears. He struggled for words. "But I was planning on doing something this weekend."

Both his parents' eyebrows shot up. It was his father who cautious ventured the question. "What?"

"My friend volunteers at a Church in town," Heero took a steadying breath. Public speaking, he lectures himself. He had to sound confident in his argument. "She asked me if I could help out at a fundraiser this weekend."

"Fundraising?" his mother looked at him with a touch of disbelief. 

"A girl?" his father echoed the tone.

"Church?" they said at the same time.

Panic disappeared from Heero's thoughts as he tried to contain a smirk. He had succeeded in knocking them off balance. "Yes, Dorothy Catolonia. She volunteers at Maxwell House Church. It is a very worthy cause for a Yuy to be involved in." Heero only just kept the sarcasm out of his voice as he said the last sentence.

"Perhaps this school experiment is getting out of hand," his mother murmured to his father. "Maybe Marie was wrong about the whole thing. I don't like the way this is headed."

Heero's father nodded and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. He cleared his throat before saying the worst news Heero could ever hope to hear. "Heero, you are coming with us. And when we come back we are placing you back in tutoring."

"And we are going to let Marie go," his mother said in a cool voice. She glared at Heero with strikingly jealous eyes. Heero took a small step back as he felt his heart pound in the back of his throat. "She's getting too close to you."

In that moment Heero's life shattered into millions of pieces. School he might be able to do without. Marie would let his go and visit Dorothy and even Maxwell Church. But to lose Marie was like someone had ripped out his heart. He suddenly felt very hollow. 

His parents next words drifted away and he didn't hear them. Without waiting for them to dismiss him, he turned and slowly left the room in a dull shock. He didn't know where he was going until someone called his name.

"Heero? Heero, what's wrong?"

He had found his way to the kitchens and it was Marie who was trying to get his attention. Marie who would still have a job tomorrow if he wasn't so damn arguable right now.

Heero wrenched out of her grip and took off for his bedroom. He refused to let the tears fall until he was safely locked in his room and buried under his covers.

He clutched a pillow to his face and just let tears run down his face silently. 

What the bloody hell was he going to do now?

__

You were there when I needed you

You were the first to listen

You were the first to care

You were the first I loved

You tried to give me your all

You gave without ever asking

I took, I talked, I hated

And I gave nothing in return

And now that you're going

I'm losing it


	13. Running Away

**__**

GS Note: Man, I just went back and reread the whole story. I gotta say, I didn't remember it being that good ^_^ Not to be egotistical either. It's obviously not the greatest story but when I forgot it was mine I really liked it. Kind of funny, huh?

So don't you all worry, it'll be done ^_^

Oh, and finally, Heero gets some action!

Chapter 11

__

Running Away

Some people run from love

Some run from the law

Some even run for adventure

But some run from themselves

Heero and his parents were leaving in three days. Heero spent those three days locked in his room. He didn't even come out to eat or go to school. _Not that it mattered_, he thought bitterly. _There wasn't a school to go back to anyway_.

Marie hadn't come knocking at his door so he assumed she had already left. His parents didn't even bother to try and talk to him. Instead they sent servants to leave food outside his door. He didn't even touch them. He had a small bathroom with a sink and toilet connected to his room but he didn't even leave for a shower.

On the third day his father finally knocked on his door.

"Heero, we are leaving in three hours, I expect you to get up and bathe before we leave. A servant will pack for you."

Heero glared through the wood door and almost dared his father to try the handle. His father never attempted it. Heero gave a mumbled response and he heard footsteps leaving down the hall.

In the three days Heero had spent in his room he spent most of the time thinking. The rest he spent packing.

He had once swore his parents could never take away his freedom and now he was going to follow though. He had packed on small bag with a change of clothes, some necessities and a lot of his personal allowance. 

After he was certain no one was near by, Heero crossed the hall and turned on the shower. He made sure no one was in the hall and headed back to his room with the water still running. 

His bedroom was on the second floor but Heero was prepared for that. He put the bag on his shoulders and after a second look around his room, he reached out and leapt for the sturdy branch right before his window. 

He caught the rough bark with a lucky snag and the tree bent another three feet closer to the ground. Heero let go and dropped the remaining fall into the deep snow. He was certain no one would think anything of the open window or notice his footprints until he was long gone. With a careful check, he started to wade through the waist deep snow.

His first thought of places to stay and basically nowhere. He only knew Quatre and he couldn't go there, and Dorothy but he didn't know where she lived. His plan snagged there on the first night but after his belly started grumbling on the second, he remembered the Church.

Dorothy had told him once that they never asked questions. He didn't know the times of the bus to take him into the city where he could get lost but he could stay there until he figured it out. 

He left by the front gate but was careful enough not to walk down the driveway. He hadn't wanted to be suspicious and hadn't dressed warm besides a thin jacket so he was soaked and freezing when he left the main gate.

_This was your brilliant idea, Heero_, he thought to himself. _Next time you should plan for the summer._

It was a long walk into town. He jumped every time a car went by but none of them was his parents. He needed to get off the road but he didn't want to travel in the woods by the road. The next time a car shot down the road, he nervously stuck his thumb out.

The van didn't even slow down. 

The next car was just as rude and Heero thought that he almost was going to get a ride with a truck but the driver ended up going on anyway. He was beginning to think this was the stupidest thing he ever tried when a fourth car started down the road. 

Heero didn't even bother sticking out his thumb so when the car slowed down anyway he had to jumped to the side. The window rolled down and friendly voice called out, "Need a ride?"

Heero gratefully if cautiously opened the passenger door and climbed in. It was an older woman by the wheel. 

"Buckle up," she chirped with a smile. Heero dropped his bag between his knees and quickly buckled his seat belt. The woman took off down the road with a jerk that sent Heero flying back against the seat.

"So where are you headed?"

"Maxwell House Church," Heero replied quietly and gripped the seat with his fists. It was his first time sitting in the front of a car and the woman seemed to be driving very fast. _And badly,_ he noted as she jerked the wheel to stay on the road.

"Thought so," she grinned and glanced over. "The second I saw you I knew you must be headed to a place with a nice meal."

Heero nodded quickly. He jumped and hit his head on the ceiling when he felt something warm and wet licking his fingers. With one hand clutching his sore head, he glanced in the backseat. 

Two deep brown eye stared back at him.

"Oh, don't mind Sasha," the woman laughed. "She loves new people! Go on, you can pet her."

Petting the giant rottweiler was the last thing on Heero's mind but he reached out an trembling hand and touched her head very carefully.

"My name's Rosemary but most people just call me Rosie," she winked. "Do you have a name or just brilliant eyes?"

Heero's ears turned red to his embarrassment. He didn't say anything and shrugged uncertainly. 

"Ah, I guess you have family looking for you," she smiled in understanding. "I knew that too. When I saw you I thought, now there Rosie is a lovely young boy with a home that needs a break."

"I don't have much of a family," Heero replied bitterly before he could stop himself. Rosie just chuckled.

"I thought that myself too, once," she smiled before slamming on the brakes sharply to stop at a stop sign. Heero launched forward and was jerked back by the seatbelt. Rosie laughed. "See what I mean about those seatbelts?"

Heero just rubbed the burn mark on his shoulder before Rosie stepped on the gas and he shot back again. 

Sasha moved closer to Heero's seat and wormed her head onto his armrest. She stared up at his hopefully.

"She wants you to scratch her ears," Rosie commented as Heero stared at the dog. With one hand he scratched at her head with one finger. The dog rolled her head to the side to give him better access and he started to scratch harder with more confidence. 

"I'd say I was about your age," she nodded and smiled. "My parents wanted me to become a nun. A nun! Can you imagine, me as a nun?"

Heero didn't admit it but he couldn't visualize her in a long habit. 

"So I took off in the dead of winter, like yourself, and found myself the next day cold, hungry and out of money. I ended up calling home on a borrowed quarter and my daddy came to pick me up. I think it was the best thing to happen to me, really made me appreciate my family."

Heero almost rolled his eyes at the obvious hint. "I think I'm a bit different. My parents want to lock me up in my room and make me their puppet."

"Most parents do," Rosie smiled knowingly. "But they're people too and they get a bit selfish sometimes."

Heero couldn't stop his snort and Rosie chuckled. "I know, I know, corny. But you'll understand someday."

They traveled in silence except for Sasha's happy grunts. They passed through the town and Rosie pulled up next to the Church. Heero pulled his hand away from the dog's head to Sasha's disappointment and grabbed his bag.

"Thank you for the ride," he said politely.

"No problem," she grinned. "Tell Father Maxwell that Rosie said hi."

Heero nodded and shut the door. Rosie tore off down the street and Heero turned to look at the formidable building.

In theory his plan seemed simple. But now that he was actually here, he realised he had no clue what he was supposed to do. He squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. Nothing would happen if he just stood there.

He walked up to the front door and pulled them open after a brief struggle. He stepped inside and looked around cautiously. Nothing seemed to have changed. The bulletin broad was still empty and the entire place still looked like it needed to be swept. 

"Uh," Heero glanced around and tried to will someone to come and see him. "Hello?"

The only answer was his own echo. He hiked his bag a bit higher on his shoulders and started towards the door Father Maxwell had led them to before. He opened it and poked his head inside. The small sacristy was empty. He walked in and shut the door behind him. The room was dark but he knew where the stairs were and found his way there. 

He gripped the handrail in one hand and started up the creaking, curving steps. He could clearly hear voices at the top now.

With a final step of courage, he walked out of the staircase and into what Father Maxwell had called the Playroom. It was full of people, all sitting on the floor or on chairs. They were generating a lot of noise. Flowers were scattered all around the floor with bits of paper, ribbons, plastic and pots of water. 

Heero saw about a dozen kids sitting in a big group on the floor. Several old women were watching them and talking amongst themselves as they cut stems and pulled off thorns of roses with ease. Father Maxwell was sitting in an old armchair with a very young child sleeping on his lap.

Dorothy, Duo and Solo were supervising the kids. Dorothy noticed him first.

"Heero," she waved eager and stood up. She stepped over the kids and things until she was standing beside him. "I thought you weren't coming!"

"My parents wanted me home but they're leaving today," he replied quietly. He wasn't lying but it felt like it.

"Well I'm glad you made it anyway. Come on, we just got started! Solo, Duo and I are writing the tags up and the kids are tying them on."

She dragged him back to the circle. He forgot to be nervous after the first few minutes and soaked in the smiles and laughing with ease. No one even minded that he didn't speak very much.

If Duo noticed that Heero was more shy around him then normal he didn't comment on it. It was only a slight difference now. After he had jumped from that window Heero felt that giddy rush of independence. He wasn't under control of his parents. He was free!

He boldly sat next to Duo at dinner with Dorothy on his other side. He even smiled as Duo talked with him and managed a few low-key answers to questions. 

It looked like his life was turning around. Rosie must have been wrong. Nothing bad could feel so horribly right.

They were finishing up and putting the fresh cut roses and flowers in the Maxwell van. The kids had been put to bed and it was late at night. Duo had made some crack and the four teens were laughing. Even Heero chuckled a little. That was when two very familiar headlights drove cautiously down the normally quiet street in the dead of night. Heero froze, a bundle of yellow roses crushed in his hand.

He knew that the car couldn't see him in the shadows as it paused by the Church, read the sign, then turned into the parking lot. Sister Helen came out carrying the moneybox and stopped. 

"Who is that?" she asked, concern and a little fear in her voice. 

"I don't know," Dorothy shoved her box into the van and Duo closed the door quickly. It killed the interior light. The only light in the parking lot now was from the long luxury car slowly turning into the lot. 

Heero knew who it was so he turned. He darted behind the church to where he knew no one could see him. Dorothy shouted after him but he dropped to his knees and scrambled quickly under the heavy shrubs. 

His parents must have remembered the name Maxwell House Church or why else would their car be here?

_Stupid, stupid, stupid, Yuy!_ He cursed at himself as he climbed the chain link fence and dropped easily on the other side. _Stupidest idea you ever had!_

He had no clue where he was going but he avoided streets until he came to a surprisingly loud part of the south side of town. His jeans were wet and his sneakers were soaked. He stepped out into the crowd from an alley.

The whole street was barely lit up by street lamps. Most of them were broken and Heero was suddenly glad for that.

He didn't know how to describe what he was looking at. In the day the places here only looked impoverished. Now that looked…perverted. Loud music blared from doors of the houses and people dressed in very little stood along the sidewalk waiting to get in. Several men were stumbling around in the street. One fell onto Heero and almost knocked him over. Heero almost gagged at the alcohol on the man's breath before he shoved him away.

A group of girls, his age and barely older, started to catcall at him. He shied quickly away and bumped into an older, larger man.

"Wha'?" the man grinned and showed Heero his yellowed and broken teeth. "Dun like th' girls?" 

"N-n-no," Heero stepped away quickly but the man followed him. "I-I-it's n-not like t-that-"

"Dun be s'posing ya like th' buys, huh?"

Heero rushed to get away but a heavy hand fell on his shoulder and pulled him back. Heero turned to punch the man to find the weight on his shoulder gone and another hand yanked him down the street.

Heero started to struggle when the grip tightened and he saw who it was. He stopped squirming immediately tried to catch up. Duo flashed a quick look behind Heero and gave a small smile.

"Come on, I know a safe place."

Heero's vision of an angel changed quickly to a knight. Only he wasn't a damsel in distress. Duo pulled them down several corners until the crowd thinned out. They reached a small clearing and Duo pulled him to a group of small trees and showed him a bench. 

Heero let his quaking knees go and sat heavily. Duo settled beside him with a sigh of relief. 

"That was an adventure," Duo chuckled quietly. Heero nodded mutely. Now that the shock was wearing off he felt very stupid again. Duo didn't say anything for several minutes. Then he ventured a question.

"Any reason you wanted to take off like that?"

"That car was my parents," Heero replied bitterly. "I ran away today and I didn't think they'd look for me here."

"Can I ask why you ran away?"

"They were being stupid!" Heero almost yelled and he felt his blood start boil. He slammed a fist on the bench and started to talk, almost forgetting that Duo was even there. "The second I start thinking on my own they decided to rein me in again! They want to pull me out of school and now they want to fire Marie because she's getting 'too close to me'! They never paid attention to me before now I have to suddenly become their son! I don't even know that! I barely know their names for fuck sake! 

"They were so frigging surprised when I told them I had Dorothy as a friend and that I wanted to help out at a church! How do they expect me to run their business later if I have to follow them all the time? I just started to figure out what the hell I'm feeling about other people and issues and I'm just starting to realize what it is to live when they stomp all over me!

"And they want to line up a girl for me? They all ready plan on me being married by the time I'm eighteen? I've never even kissed anyone or gone on a date or even-"

A warm hand on Heero's cheek stopped him mid-rant and he blinked in surprise as it tilted his head sideways and a warm pair of lips covered his. He stopped breathing for just a moment then leaned back into the hand and the lips. A warm tingling feeling ran from his hair to his toes as Duo slid his hand from his cheek to his hair. 

He moan softly as Duo moved back but kept close enough for Heero to still fell his warm breath on his face. Heero slowly opened his eyes to the amused ones of Duo. They sparkled in the near by street lamp. 

"W-what was that for?" Heero could barely whisper and Duo smiled even wider. 

"'Cause," he replied. He leaned even closer to Heero, his hand still tangled in his hair but he didn't touch him otherwise. "Doro ended up telling me."

Heero felt his ears flush bright red and he glanced quickly down. Then he recovered his wits and flashed his eyes back to meet Duo's. Despite the small waver in his voice he smirked. 

"What do you plan to do now?" his voice didn't go over a whisper. Thoughts of his parents and everything else melted away, the only thing he was concerned with now was Duo.

"More of this," Duo leaned forward again and captured Heero's mouth with his again. Heero met him eagerly this time. Instead of the chaste kiss last time, Duo slid closer to Heero and pulled him other hand up to lace behind Heero head. He pulled Heero off balance and the boy had to steady himself by placing his hands on Duo's knees.

Duo pulled away slower this time and Heero found himself breathing a bit harder. Duo nuzzled Heero's cheek for a minute before he spoke again.

"I must say, Heero my man, I never expected you to swing my way. I barely know you," Duo's voice dropped from a whisper to even quieter. "But I guess that's how all relationships start."

Heero finally opened his eyes and leaned in closer to Duo's neck. Duo smelt like roses. 

"I guess," Heero murmured. His head was swimming. This was the last thing he expected but the first he wanted. Duo felt real beneath his hands.

"So, do you want to grab a coffee with me later or something?" Duo teased slightly, still pressing his nose comfortingly on Heero's neck. "Providing you aren't grounded or something?"

At that the rest of the evening slammed into Heero's brain and he suddenly felt like someone had flicked a switch in his head. He pulled back sharply to Duo's shocked yelp.

"My parents are going to kill me!" Heero suddenly realised out loud. He jumped to his feet. "We have to get back!"

"_Now_ you want to leave," Duo laughed but stood up too. "Sister Helen has your parents in the Church I think. Father Maxwell is talking to them."

"I still think I'll be in trouble," Heero groaned in a very un-Heero way. Then he turned back to Duo. "Which way leads to the Church?"

"Follow me," Duo offered his arm and bowed but Heero only glared. Duo laughed and started to walk across the park, braid swinging. Heero jogged a few paces to catch up. They reached the Church in no time and Duo led him away from the main door and off to the side.

"Secret entrance," he explained with a smirk. There was a dip and three stone steps. A small cement roof was a few inches above the ground but it was covered in snow right now. Duo carefully walked down the steps and warned Heero against the ice.

They reached the bottom and Duo turned around quickly to grin at Heero. He placed a quick kiss on Heero lips, this time having to reach up to do it. "Don't forget that coffee." 

The door opened and Heero was greeted by two very angry faces of his parents.


	14. Epilogue

GS Note: Wow. Um, long time no see? Lol, I had a great time in Japan by the way though I don't know how much I'm going to be in the fan fiction scene anymore. I adore my fandom (online fandom is good, RL fandom (AKA Anime club at school) sucks ) but I found I've drifted away from an active member and like lurking

Tales of Love

Epilogue

Once in a land,

Close by and undeniable,

There was a boy who lived alone

And longed to go to school

Heero glared moodily outside. The snow was gone and the sun shone brilliantly. It was one of those days that all a person had to do was look up into the blue and could believe that everything was right in the world. Unfortunately, Heero Yuy knew better.

His laptop was open and hummed quietly under his fingers but he had stopped typing in mid sentence. His parents were gone (again) and in an effort to avoid the newly hired Miss VanTrape, Heero was in his room attempting to finished the paperwork his tutors had assigned to him.

The silence became too much and Heero idly tapped on the computer and ruined his work with a long line of g's. It was almost time. His eyes flickered from the window to the clock on his desktop then back to the window with a grin. Three minutes late.

Tap.

Heero shot to the window and opened it quickly. Everyday at ten after three, the double shot of vodka and whisky Miss VanTrape drank would kick in and she would be out like a light for hours. Heero had discovered it by accident one day and had wasted no time in informing Duo.

As it was, the braided teen was hanging off of one of the more sturdier branches of the tree beside Heero's window.

"Hey Heero," Duo grinned carelessly. "Give me a hand?"

Heero reached out and grabbed Duo's arm and helped him to scramble in the window and then drop clumsily on the floor. Duo froze at the loud noise but Heero didn't even flinch. Even if Miss VanTrape hadn't been passed out downstairs, the sound needed to travel through another two floors for her to hear.

"How was school?" Heero helped Duo up and went over to save his work and flick off his computer.

"Boring," Duo brushed stray leaves out of his hair and grimaced at a tightly entwined twig. "Hard. Met a new Chinese kid today. Do you know how lucky you are-"

Finished on his computer, Heero grabbed Duo's braid and toss it back over his shoulder. Duo started to protest but Heero gripped the back of his neck and pulled him close for a long kiss.

"Yes," Heero gave a small smile.

Lame, I know. Unsatisfying, I know. Sweet? I hope. But yea, this is the end of Tales of Love. I actually had planned it ended last chapter without another because that's all it was, a get-together story. And this is how it ends. They got together :p There's more series to come, no worries. I was thinking of working on them but the GW fandom, while endeared to my heart and will lurked by me, is starting to lose interest however, I am become dangerously obsessed with Naruto o

Anyone who would like to see another series of the Tale Arc is free to rant at me, I may well become motivated to start one. I actually have the first few chapters of a new Doro one written… somewhere. On one of my computers. I think I should find it, the beginning is pretty racy 0.o


End file.
